French Cinemas Close Early Amid Nationwide Riots Following Deadly Police Shooting Of 17-Year-Old; Curfews Imposed In Some Cities
deadline.comThe fatal shooting of a 17-year-old by a police officer in Nanterre, France earlier this week has set off a swath of nationwide riots and violence, resulting in early closures of some cinemas, curfews in certain cities and a plea for calm from the national football team, among more widespread issues.
The killing of the teenager, who has been named only as Nahel M., occurred on Tuesday morning. He was fatally shot in the chest, point-blank, at the wheel of a Mercedes for driving off during a police traffic check.
The officer who fired the shot has been detained while being investigated on a charge of voluntary homicide. Nahel M was of Algerian and Moroccan descent, and anger over the shooting is rooted in decades-long complaints about police violence and persistent feelings of neglect and racial discrimination in France’s poorer urban suburbs, as the New York Times has written.
The situation is also eerily reminiscent of Romain Gavras’ compelling 2022 film Athena which takes place after the death of a boy following an alleged police altercation that sees tensions rise to a national level.
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