Police officers across France staged low-key protests on Wednesday after prosecutors sought murder charges against a colleague who shot and killed a teenage motorist during a traffic stop in 2023.
Demonstrations organised by the Alliance police union saw officers gather outside police stations in several cities including Caen, Nantes, Besançon and Nanterre – the Paris suburb where the shooting occurred.
Nahel, 17, was killed in June 2023 by a bullet fired at point-blank range by a police officer – identified as Florian M – who was checking the vehicle when the teenager attempted to restart it.
Police initially claimed the young man had driven towards them, but this version was contradicted by amateur video footage shared on social media.
The officer had been held in custody for five months before being released under judicial supervision.
On Monday the Nanterre prosecutor requested that he face trial for murder, and that charges against a colleague for complicity in murder be dropped.
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Modest protests
Around a hundred police officers gathered to protest the move in Nanterre – although initial reports had suggested that “several hundred” officers were expected.
"We are here today to symbolically support Florian," Fabien Vanhemelryck, secretary general of the Alliance union, told BFMTV at the Nanterre protest.
"We are all Florian. Saying that a colleague is a murderer is intolerable and unacceptable. A murder is voluntarily causing someone's death. We cannot say that a police officer is a murderer."
Media reports said that in Caen about 30 officers stood on the steps of the police headquarters in a silent demonstration, while in Besançon some 40 officers gathered outside the Gare d'Eau police station despite it being during school holidays.
At the Nantes central police station, several dozens of officers briefly assembled "in a symbolic way before quickly returning to their ranks", according to Ouest France.
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Unions divided
Police unions have taken different approaches to supporting their colleague. While Alliance called for nationwide gatherings, the Un1té union advised against protests.
"In accordance with our values and our unwavering commitment to Florian, Un1té will always act in his interest and in protection of his rights. Consequently, we will not call for any gatherings," Un1té said in a statement cited by Le Figaro.
Alliance has taken a more confrontational stance.
"If today a police officer can be tried as a murderer for having faced a refusal to comply, then tomorrow, no police officer will be able to intervene without fearing the courts," the union said in its statement.
The footage of Nahel’s shooting, and apparent disconnect with the official version of events by police, galvanised months of violence and protests against police brutality across France.
