Killing of Nahel Merzouk
Image of Merzouk distributed by his mother | |
| Date | 27 June 2023 |
|---|---|
| Location | Nanterre, France |
| Coordinates | 48°53′55″N 2°13′17″E / 48.8985°N 2.2213°E |
| Type | Police shooting |
| Outcome | Mass urban riots |
| Deaths | Nahel Merzouk |
| Accused | Florian M. |
| Charges | Voluntary homicide by a person in authority |
On 27 June 2023, Nahel Merzouk (25 February 2006 – 27 June 2023), a 17-year-old French youth of Moroccan and Algerian descent, was shot at point-blank range and killed by police officer Florian M., when he did not comply with an order to stop and instead attempted to drive away in Nanterre, a suburb of Paris, France. Initial reporting on the incident (informed by police statements) was later contradicted by a video posted online, which led to widespread protests and riots. Symbols of the state such as town halls, schools, police stations, and other buildings were attacked. The Interior Ministry reported that more than 5,000 vehicles had been set on fire, along with 10,000 garbage cans; nearly 1,000 buildings had been burnt, damaged or looted; 250 police stations and gendarmeries had been attacked; and more than 700 police officers had been injured.
The killing—condemned by President Emmanuel Macron as "inexplicable" and "inexcusable"—became part of a broader public debate regarding aggressive French law enforcement, racial profiling, immigration, and the stakes of naming the subsequent suburban violence "rioting" rather than "revolts". On 28 June, the president of the National Assembly, Yaël Braun-Pivet, asked deputies "to respect a minute of silence in Nahel's memory".