By: Boya Hu

On July 1st, 2023, police in France held more than 700 demonstrators because of the fifth night of aggression across countless primary cities. The capital, Paris, and the port city of Marseille were affected in this confrontation. A 17-year-old teenager—Nahel Merzouk—was fatally shot by a police officer on Tuesday, which was the cause of the protests.

The police said, “You are going to get a bullet in the head,” according to France24 News Outlet. Nahel was killed near a police stop at Nelson Mandela Square around 8 a.m.

According to Reuters, Nahel’s mother said, “Everyone come, we will lead a revolt for my son.” Mounia, Nahel’s mother, was only a single parent with Nahel as her only child. “He was a super happy boy, someone who was always smiling. I never caught him in a bad mood.” according to Reuters. After many days of fighting, the town had to mourn their own.

According to NPR, bystanders in several parts of France watched dissenters, some even as youthful as 14, conflicting with police officers! “No justice, no peace!” a young man shouted into a reporter’s microphone. He then ran away from many helmeted police who were attempting to capture him.

Teenagers targeted the mayor, Vincent Jeanbrun. Jeanbrun had an attempted murder launched on him and his family. The accident happened while the Jeanbruns were asleep. A car hit their home, and, because of the crash, the car was set on fire. While the car was on fire, his wife and one of his children were injured.