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Mother of French teen killed by police calls for new protests / Photo: © AFP
Mother of French teen killed by police calls for new protests
The mother of a French teenager whose killing by police sparked over a week of nationwide riots has called on supporters to stage a new protest this weekend after the officer was released from custody.
In June, a police officer shot Nahel M., 17, during a traffic stop in the Paris suburb of Nanterre, with a video shared on social media showing he had been killed at point blank range.
Nahel's mother Mounia called for protests in Nanterre on Sunday afternoon after French authorities released the policeman charged with murdering her son from pre-trial custody Wednesday.
"I will fight, I won't give up for my son," she said in the video posted late Thursday, fighting back tears.
The 38-year-old officer, identified only as Florian M., remains under judicial supervision which means restrictions are still placed on his movements.
But Nahel's mother called his release a "real injustice".
"How can my son's life mean so little to this justice system?" she said in the video.
Nahel was killed as he pulled away from police who were trying to stop him for an alleged traffic infraction.
The killing and ensuing rioting posed uncomfortable questions for France about police brutality, living conditions and the integration of the hugely mixed populations of its poor suburbs.
S. Sokolow--BTZ
