Mother of Slain Soldier Urges Peace Amid Unrest Following Nahel’s Death in France

President of the Imad association, in tribute to her son, Latifa Ibn Ziaten is an ambassador of peace and non-violence. Since the death of her son, she has traveled to prisons and schools to talk with young people. Last Thursday, she was in Nanterre to participate in the white march for Nahel. "It was important for me to be by the side of this wounded mother. I know what it’s like to lose a son. I had been advised not to go, saying it could get out of hand. But I’m not afraid: it was my duty, my role to be there...," she told the newspaper Le Parisien.

As could be feared, the march degenerated due to the vandalism orchestrated by some young people. An attitude denounced by Latifa who does not hide her anger against the latter whom she blames for not respecting the memory of Nahel. "This march was supposed to be done with dignity, but a certain youth has sunk into violence and the police have retaliated. I received tear gas, a big rock fell at my feet... I could have never been there to talk about it," she indignantly says.

The activist recounts having tried to reason with one of the vandals. "I told him: ’Why so much hatred, why are you burning things? You’re not respecting Nahel by doing that.’ What saddened me was that he wasn’t listening. I grabbed him, he was telling me ’Mum, please let me go!’. That marked me. I felt his anger. I told him that the prisons were full of young people like him, I told him that we were there to demonstrate so that young people like him would be respected. Then he said to me: ’But we are not respected!’. I am still shaken by this," she details.

To appease the tensions, the president of the Imad association is launching an appeal to parents. "Be present! An 11-year-old child should not be alone in the street, without anyone knowing where he is. We need to soothe them, be there, before it’s too late! Because children listen to their parents above all. But it’s not just them: it’s also the role of mediators, elected officials too, in short, all the adults, and also the State, who must protect this youth," she advises, inviting the authorities to dialogue with these young people. For her part, she intends to "go to the neighborhoods, especially in Nanterre, call the mayor, and meet the young people. To talk to them."