Police killing of teen exposed France’s false claims about equality: Syria

Syria has condemned in the strongest terms the fatal shooting of a teenager of Algerian descent by French police, stating that the incident exposed the hollow nature of claims by French authorities about equality and fight against racial discrimination.

The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, in a statement released on Saturday, denounced the “cold-blooded and intentional” murder of 17-year-old Nahel M on June 27 in the western Parisian suburb of Nanterre.

According to Press TV, the statement said “Syria joins those who advocate an end to the racist behaviors of French officials, which mainly target members of other communities.”

“This crime reflects the racist and colonialist mentality of French authorities, and repudiates the French government’s claims about equality and combat against discrimination.”

According to Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, France deployed 45,000 police officers nationwide, backed by light armored vehicles, on Friday to quell the fourth night of nationwide protests. 

Public display of anger was also on in the cities of Lyon, Marseille and Grenoble with bands of youth setting fires and pelting officers with projectiles.

France’s Interior Ministry announced on Twitter that 1,311 people had been arrested overnight, compared with 875 the previous night, although it claimed the violence was “lower in intensity.”

President Emmanuel Macron said more officers would be deployed to contain the violence, but stopped short of declaring a state of emergency. He urged parents to keep rioting children at home and social media platforms to remove certain content.

Nahel M was shot at point-blank range after refusing to stop for a traffic check and died after emergency services arrived at the scene. A video, shared online, showed two police officers trying to stop the vehicle and one pointing his weapon at the driver.

The police officer responsible for the shooting has been detained and is facing charges of voluntary homicide.

ME