Overview
- Invited to Thursday’s municipal session, Amine Kessaci received prolonged applause as he addressed councillors one month after his brother Mehdi was assassinated on November 13.
- He urged concrete social investment and a return of proximity policing, arguing that focusing on neighborhood youths will not halt international networks and calling for extraditions from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Thailand.
- Councillors approved an exceptional aid for Association Conscience, while a sector council on Wednesday unanimously validated a 2024 subsidy of €7,233 for the group’s work with families affected by narcotrafficking.
- Local leaders outlined divergent responses, with Mayor Benoît Payan pressing for a stronger state presence and more evening patrols, Martine Vassal proposing a municipal BAC, and Samia Ghali highlighting the role of drug demand.
- Nationally, President Emmanuel Macron this week reaffirmed a ‘war’ on narcotrafficking and said France will seek cooperation to seize assets and arrest network heads abroad.