The tragedy of a youth identified as Nahel M., a teenager of North African descent who was shot dead due to traffic violations after being stopped by traffic police in a Paris suburb on June 27, sparked a week of chaos in France.
According to official figures, at the time of writing on July 5, the riots had put almost 4,000 people in police custody, including 1,124 minors. This has become one of the most serious riots in France, topping the 2005 riots caused by the death of two teenagers of African descent who were accidentally electrocuted during a police chase, according to Xinhua News Agency. The United Nations asked France on June 30 to “seriously address the deep issues of racism and discrimination in its law enforcement.”
Many European socio-political experts are now saying there’s a “ticking time bomb” lurking under on what they considered the roots of the riots. Excerpts from their views follow:
