Questioning the Republic's Values: Nahel's Tragedy, Suburban Realities and Camus'

The suburbs in France have once again been thrown into chaos following the tragic killing of Nahel M, a 17-year-old teenager of Algerian and Moroccan descent, by the police. Initially, the police falsely alleged that the young man had tried to run over an officer. However, a video shared on social media revealed a different story. The footage showed the police pulling over a car in the Paris suburb of Nanterre, with two officers nearby. In a tragic turn of events, one of the officers pointed his weapon at the driver, resulting in Nahel's death.

This incident sparked widespread outrage, leading to protests, riots, fires, and vandalism in suburbs near Paris, Lyon, Marseille, and Grenoble. Numerous government buildings, shops, banks, and other places were targeted. To restore order, the government deployed over 45,000 police officers and used armored vehicles. As a result, more than 3,000 people were arrested.

Read the entire file

 Questioning the Republic's Values: Nahel's Tragedy, Suburban Realities and Camus' "The Stranger"