Overview
- Demonstrators marched in Nanterre on March 21, led by relatives of Nahel Merzouk alongside activists and several elected officials calling for justice.
- The rally brought together families of other people who died after encounters with police, with names such as El Hacen Diarra, Baba, Souheil, Sullivan and Adama displayed on shirts and signs.
- Mounia Merzouk, Nahel’s mother, addressed the crowd, and prominent activist Assa Traoré attended to show support for the families.
- Participants condemned the March 5 legal reclassification as downgrading the gravity of the case and criticized what they view as systemic racism and police impunity.
- Speakers linked the court decision to current political proposals, including a push for a presumption of self-defense for officers, and reiterated that Nahel was killed by a police gunshot during a June 2023 stop.