The grandmother of a boy killed by police during a STOP operation in a Paris suburb said on Sunday she wants the nationwide unrest sparked by the young man’s death to stop.
Nadia told French media that the rioters used the death of 17-year-old Nahel as an excuse to sow chaos and that the family wanted peace. “To people who break something, I tell them: stop, stop. They do it under the pretense of Nahel – no, people have to stop!” Nadya said in an audio interview with BFM TV, which Reuters cites. “Nahel is dead. My daughter is lost… she no longer has a life,” he added.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said the latest overnight riots were less intense after 45,000 police officers were sent to Nahel’s funeral on Saturday in the Paris suburb of Nanterre.
After Nahel was shot dead on Tuesday, rioters set fire to cars and looted shops, as well as attacked government offices such as city halls and police stations. The home of the mayor of L’Ey-le-Rose near Paris was attacked while his wife and children were sleeping.