Probes into 'excessive force' by police as France recovers from week of riots
French authorities have launched an investigation into the death of a man who may have been killed by a police rubber bullet during protests in Marseille. It comes as France counts the cost of its most intense urban violence in nearly two decades.
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Prosecutors in the southern port city of Marseille, which witnessed some of the worst violence over the past week of unrest, said Wednesday that a 27-year-old man riding a scooter had been found dead in the night between Saturday and Sunday.
He is believed to have suffered a heart attack after being being struck by a projectile.
According to prosecutor Dominique Laurens, an investigation into "a death involving the use of a weapon" that appeared to be consistent with a projectile known as a "flashball" is underway.
A "flashball' is intended to be used by riot police as an alternative to lethal firearms and plastic bullets.
If confirmed, the death would be the first reported during the week-long riots, which were sparked by the fatal police shooting of a 17-year-old teenager of North African origin during a traffic stop in the Paris suburb of Nanterre on 27 June.
[#JeudiPhoto] Notre engagement est total quelles que soient les circonstances 👮🏼♀️ pic.twitter.com/ElYVDjztd2
— Police nationale (@PoliceNationale) July 6, 2023
Meanwhile in northeastern France, a family has filed a complaint against security forces, citing "intentional violence" last Friday that has left their 25-year-old son fighting for his life in hospital.
According to a family member, security guard Aimene Bahouh was reportedly driving with his window open on the way to a petrol station after work when he "was hit by a projectile" in the head.
The relative and the family lawyer said elite RAID police officers had fired projectiles known as "bean bags" after coming under a barrage of rocks from rioters.
A bean-bag round is fired from a shotgun and is considered less lethal than bullets.
France's IGPN police inspectorate at Metz is investigating the case.
Police procedure
The IGPN and its counterpart for the gendarmerie military law enforcement unit – the IGGN – have been informed of multiple investigations into use of excessive force since the start of the violence on 27 June.
Speaking at a hearing of the Senate Law Commission on Wednesday, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said there had "only" been ten referrals to the IGPN or IGGN, without giving any further details.
Darmanin is expected to be heard by the National Assembly's Law Committee on the afternoon of 12 July. The committee will also question the heads of the IGPN and IGGN.
During Wednesday's hearing, the Minister of the Interior ruled out any change to a February 2017 law that in certain respects lowers the legal strictures for police officers to open fire, particularly in the context of refusal to comply.
In reference to the policeman who allegedly shot Nahel and has been charged with voluntary manslaughter, Darmanin said: "It's not because a police officer doesn't respect the law that we have to change that law.
"This police officer, who is entitled to the presumption of innocence, clearly did not respect the 2017 law."
Evaluation of damage
Since the violence began on 27 June, there have been 3,651 arrests – including 1,366 in Paris and the inner suburbs – according to Interior Ministry figures released on Wednesday evening.
Darmanin told the hearing that the youngest person arrested was 11 years old and the oldest 59 years old.
The average age of those apprehended is 17.
Profil des interpellés lors des émeutes: "La moyenne d'âge est entre 17 et 18 ans" et "60% n'ont pas de casier judiciaire", indique Gérald Darmanin pic.twitter.com/qAVdsIiJAn
— BFMTV (@BFMTV) July 5, 2023
Some 270 premises attacked belonged to "the forces of law and order", according to the minister, who added that 105 town halls had been "set on fire or damaged" and 168 schools "were the object of attacks".
Some 17 attacks on elected representatives were recorded, including one against the home of the mayor of L'Haÿ-les-Roses in the southern suburbs of Paris.
Racism debate
The rioting has sparked a divisive political debate over the reasons behind the mass targeting of police and other symbols of the French state.
Many opposition politicians on the right have argued the government has lost control of poor areas, dismissing suggestions that racism, poverty or police brutality could explain the anger.
Far-right parties have linked the most intense and widespread riots since 2005 to mass migration, calling for curbs on new arrivals.
Bruno Retailleau – who heads the opposition Les Républicains party in the Senate – sparked an outcry when he suggested rioters from immigrant backgrounds had undergone "a regression to their ethnic roots".
The parliamentary head of the hard-left France Unbowed party, Mathilde Panot, denounced Retailleau's comments as "crass racism".
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The comments from a mainstream conservative underscored the shrill debate about immigration and identity in France where far-right politicians such as Marine Le Pen are at historic highs in the polls.
Anti-Islam media commentator Eric Zemmour – who ran unsuccessfully for president in April 2022 – has likened the riots to an "ethnic war".
Darmanin has highlighted to the Senate that when he checked the names of detainees, "there were lots of Kevins too" – referring to a name popular among the white working class.
Figures released from the interior ministry show that approximately 90 percent of those arrested during the riots were French nationals.
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