Nanterre residents in France complain of racism, police brutality after police kills teen

By Alaattin Dogru and Esra Taskin

PARIS (AA) - Residents of Nanterre, a Paris suburb where a teen was killed by police, complained of racism and police brutality.

Protests have rocked France since June 27, when an officer shot and killed Nahel M., 17, of Algerian descent, during a traffic check after he allegedly ignored orders to stop.

A., a young woman who has been living in Nanterre for three years, refused to give her full name but told Anadolu that police have mistreated residents for years.

Many of the officers do not deserve this profession, according to A., who added: "I was aggressed in the past, and police said there is no point in filing a complaint. It is not normal for a police officer to say that. It is not a surprise that they killed a young man. It is sad."

A., who used to live in the 19th district of Paris, deplored mistreatment by police. The young woman deplored the issue of skin color.

"Arresting an Arab or a Black does not end the same as arresting a White," she said. "There is a lot of racism and it seems banalized. Being racist is ordinary nowadays, unfortunately."

– Brutality reigns, not dialogue

Esma who refused to give her full name, considered the incidents as a revolt and not a riot.

"It is always the same people who pay the price," she said, accusing police of abusing power. "It is always the same story, it is always about brutality, they are not open to dialogue."

Manel, who also did not reveal her identity, criticized French media outlets for always showing the bad side of the suburbs, instead of highlighting the values of residents.

"Not valuing the suburbans has become a negative trait of the French society," she said.

Another resident, Yasmine said she was directly affected by what happened.

She expressed fear of suffering possible consequences if she talked to media outlets about the situation.

"It was lucky that Nahel's shooting was filmed, otherwise it would have been like the others. We would have forgotten, the case would have been dissimulated," the young woman added. "And that officer would continue as if nothing happened. Thanks to the person who filmed it. I hope justice will be done and things will change."

Thousands took to the streets in France after Nahel's killing.

Protests started in Nanterre and quickly spread to other cities, including Lyon, Toulouse, Lille and Marseille.

Tensions rose following clashes between police and protesters, before losing steam this week.

Vehicles and public buildings including town halls and schools were set on fire, and police arrested 4,000 people, mostly teenagers, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told the Senate on Wednesday.