The mother of a French boy of North African origin killed by police is holding a silent march to mark one year since his death.
NANTERRE, France — One year after a French boy of North African origin was shot dead by police in a shooting that shocked France and sparked days of riots, the boy’s mother is leading a silent march Saturday to honor her son.
It comes at a politically tricky time: the campaign for early parliamentary elections this weekend has been marred by hate speech, and an anti-immigration party that wants stronger police powers and has historical ties to racism and anti-Semitism is leading in the polls.
Family and friends are gathering in the Paris suburb of Nanterre to remember 17-year-old Nael Merzouk, who was shot and killed at close range by police during a traffic check on June 27, 2023. A delivery driver from a working-class neighborhood, Merzouk became an icon within hours of his death. For many across France, he was a symbol of France’s black and North African youth, who face police checks and discrimination more frequently than their white counterparts.
“We are united in our search for justice and truth. Naher will not be forgotten. This struggle will resonate through our steps and our voices,” Naher’s relatives said in an Instagram post. Only Naher’s mother, Mounia, and close friends are expected to speak publicly during the march, hoping to avoid political maneuvering and tensions on the eve of French parliamentary elections.
French voters will cast their ballots on Sunday in the first general election for the French National Assembly (lower house of parliament) that could see the country elect its first far-right government since the Nazi occupation of World War II.
French opinion polls suggest that the National Rally party could win the majority in the next parliament after the second round of voting on July 7 and take over as prime minister. In that scenario, centrist President Emmanuel Macron would retain the presidency until 2027 but in a significantly weakened role.
“This march that is taking place right now is a powerful symbol,” said Assa Traoré, who has been fighting for justice since the death of his brother Adama in French police custody in 2016.
“This means that history will not be written without us. We who live in working-class areas are the direct victims of these elections. We realized early on that the Rally National and the far-right parties are dangerous to our country and weaken it,” said a 39-year-old man of Malian descent who took part in a demonstration with Merzouk’s family.
Merzouk’s death, which was captured on video, stoked long-simmering tensions between police and young people in housing estates and disadvantaged suburbs, many of them French-born from immigrant families. Fueled by TikTok, the riots escalated with unprecedented speed and prompted a massive police crackdown. The unrest has caused more than $1 billion in damages, according to French authorities.
The officer who fired the gun claimed self-defense, and far-right figures started a crowdfunding campaign on his behalf that raised $1.6 million before it was canceled.
The far-right Rally National party wants police given new legal status, citing safety concerns, especially in housing estates and poorer areas of France’s suburbs. If officers use their weapons during an intervention, they will be considered to have acted in self-defense. Currently, police officers have the same legal status as all French citizens and will have to prove they acted in self-defense.
Meanwhile, the leftist coalition New Popular Front wants to ban some police weapons and disband notoriously hardline police forces.
“People are afraid of the National Rally’s victory, but we who live in working-class areas fear every day that our sons, brothers, husbands will be killed. Racism and racial profiling are our daily lives,” Traore said.
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Angela Charlton in Paris contributed.
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