The violence continued last night in many French neighborhoods, in reaction to the death of Nahel, who was killed by a police officer for refusing to comply, in Nanterre. Christian Estrosi is concerned about the scenes of violence in the Alpes-Maritimes.
“For the past 48 hours, we have seen outbreaks, and there were some last night in neighborhoods of the Alpes-Maritimes,” worries Christian Estrosi. As the Nanterre public prosecutor requests the pre-trial detention of the officer responsible for the fatal shot, the president of the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis spoke about the case at the opening of the Metropolitan Council on June 29.
“Like many of you, I am worried to see, before this summer period, a sort of general outbreak,” fears the mayor of Nice. Moved by “this tragedy” that took the life of a 17-year-old young man, he nonetheless calls for “everyone to maintain republican order.” His political rival, Éric Ciotti, officially calls for the declaration of a state of emergency.
“Any violence is unjustifiable”
“Our duty as public officials is to call for calm in all the neighborhoods that might be affected,” he declares, while affirming his support for the law enforcement. “Our duty is also to believe in justice, because it is now up to the judiciary to do its work.”
A few minutes after Christian Estrosi’s speech, the public prosecutor of Nanterre announced that the police officer responsible for the fatal shot will be prosecuted for “voluntary homicide.” Pascal Prache specifies: “The legal conditions for the use of the weapon are not met.”
“Any violence, wherever it comes from, is unjustifiable,” he emphasizes. “It is not because there might be unjustifiable violence, whether on one side or the other, that we should not express loudly and clearly our support for all the law enforcement who work with immense courage for the security of our fellow citizens,” he concluded in front of the Metropolitan Council assembly, gathered at the Mediterranean University Center.
