Funeral Held for Teen Killed by Police in Nanterre, France Sparks Mourning and Unrest

Hundreds of people, mostly young people, dressed in djellabas, accompanied Nahel’s body to the cemetery, after the tribute ceremony that took place at the funeral home in strict family intimacy, in the presence of Nahel’s mother, his grandmother and neighbors, residents of the Pablo-Picasso housing project, reports Le Parisien.

Prayers were also organized at the Ibn Badis mosque, on Avenue Georges-Clemenceau, in Nanterre, before the burial in the Mont Valérien cemetery. "I came to support the mother, she sacrificed herself for her son. He was her baby. She is surrounded today, but tomorrow?" said a sexagenarian, a resident of Nanterre, after the tribute ceremony, demanding that justice be done for Nahel’s death, which she considers a "martyr".

"As soon as I saw the video, it hit me hard. We say, ’But why?’ and we don’t have an answer," confides Foued, 44, a management controller from Trappes in the Yvelines, and father of two children aged 19 and 17. The forty-something describes an atmosphere "very dignified, with a lot of silences, respect, looks" during the tribute ceremony.

A rap and motorcycle fan, Nahel, out of school, worked as a delivery man. A wave of violence and tension has engulfed the city of Nanterre and other neighboring cities after the death of the young man, killed by a police officer during a check. The 38-year-old police officer was indicted for voluntary homicide. He was remanded in custody on Thursday.