Nahel Remember the name.
Nahel (his last name, assuming he had one, has not been published) was, at the age of 17, a career criminal with 15 arrests for a variety of charges, including drug charges and driving illegally (the legal driving age in France is 18).
He was driving a car recklessly and police attempted to stop him. He resisted and tried to flee the scene. Some reports indicate his car hit a police officer in the course of doing so. Nahel was shot and killed.
Let’s stop here. Let’s assume for the sake of discussion, the worst-possible case scenario: that the officer who shot Nahel hated Arabs and decided this was his great opportunity to kill one for no reason at all.
If that were true (and there is no reason whatsoever to believe this to be the case) the officer – the ONE officer – who did this should be charged tried convicted and severely punished for his actions. The end, case closed.
But what is happening now is that France is on fire. Places where there are large Arab populations are seeing rioting violence and destruction on a scale you usually see in old World War II movies.
From an article at the French website “Valeurs” (please excuse the clumsy syntax, which happens when one language is translated to another):
Three days after the death of Nahel, killed in Nanterre by a policeman after refusing to comply, new clashes with the police broke out everywhere in France, on the night of Friday June 30 to Saturday July 1.
A new night of urban violence ended on Saturday July 1 at dawn. Three days after the death of young Nahel, 17, killed in Nanterre by a policeman after refusing to comply, new scenes of looting and violence broke out everywhere in France for the fourth consecutive night. Traveling to Mantes-la-Jolie (Yvelines), Gérald Darmanin announced, overnight, 994 arrests at the national level, according to a provisional report, reports franceinfo .
According to figures from the Ministry of the Interior, there were 2,560 fires on public roads and 1,350 vehicle fires, as well as 234 fires and damage to public property. There are also 31 attacks on police stations, 16 attacks on municipal police stations and 11 attacks on gendarmerie barracks throughout France. In total, during the night, 79 police officers and gendarmes were injured, including 27 in Lyon, where seven of them were hit by shotgun fire, Le Figaro learned . Each was allocated between 5 and 10 days of ITT.
Remember George Floyd? Remember that he was a career criminal, was accosted by the police for trying to pass a counterfeit $20 bill, resisted arrest, and was held -knee to neck – by a police officer, which at least contributed to and may have caused his death?
Remember the national nightmare we suffered – we are still suffering – over it, as though that one officer was every police officer in the country? Remember that George Floyd was, literally, used as an opportunity to wreak mayhem in cities across the country? Violence galore and billions of dollars in damages?
It’s hard not to see George Floyd as the blueprint for what is happening in France right now. I wonder how – if – they will be able to deal with it.
Oh, one other thing: on Wednesday, France’s President, Emmanuel Macron – in true Bidenesque fashion – called the police officer’s actions “inexplicable” and “unforgivable”. From then on the protests/riots/destruction exploded into what is happening even as I type this.
How did Macron know it was “inexplicable” and “unforgivable”? Has an investigation taken place and been completed?
Did Macron think saying this would help things? How responsible is he for taking an incendiary situation and pouring gasoline on it?
What is wrong with this man?
