The Shooting Of A Teenager By A French Police Accused Of Racialism

Criminal illustration (Photo: dock. unsplash)

JAKARTA - The mother of a 17-year-old teenager named Nahel, who was shot by French police on Thursday said she believed racism was the motive for her son's death.

In an interview broadcast on the TV channel France 5, Nahel's mother, Mounia, said that the police officer saw the face of an Arab, a small child, and wanted to take his life.

Mounia said she had no intention of blaming the entire law enforcement institution, she only demanded that a police officer kill her son.

"I don't blame (the institution) of the police. I blame one person: the person who took my son's life," he said, quoting Antara.

Nahel was shot dead by police on Tuesday (27/6) in a Parisian suburb, Nanterre, after he violated traffic laws and refused to pull over, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said on Thursday that the officer who killed Nahel had been charged with intentional murder and was detained in pre-trial detention.

Police lawyer for the murder suspect, Laurent-Franck Lienard, told BFMTV that his client was "destroyed" and asked for "mergence from the victim's family."

"He didn't get up in the morning to kill people. He didn't want to kill," he added.

Riots broke out in France on Thursday night after Nahel's death was shot dead by police.

Protesters tried to burn city hall in Clichy in the suburbs of Paris, according to video footage circulating on social media.

The riots prompted local authorities to impose a curfew. In Meudon --9.1 kilometers from downtown Paris - for example, curfews take effect from 22.00 to 6.00, local mayors said.

Jean-Didier Berger, mayor of Clamart, located 8.7 kilometers from downtown Paris, also decided to impose a curfew from 22.00 to 6.00 a.m. to Monday.

Valerie Pecresse, President of the Regional Council of Badminton-de-France, also announced that bus and tram services inside and around Paris were suspended after 22.00 on Thursday to protect employees and passengers.