In France, money is being raised for the family of the police officer who shot and killed a 17-year-old in Nanterre, France, with some success. This has sparked criticism, as the Justice Minister believes that this fundraising campaign does not contribute to calming the situation.
A fundraising campaign for the police officer who shot and killed a 17-year-old in Nanterre last week has already reached over 920,000 euros in the morning. This amount is multiple times higher than the donations for the family of the deceased. French Justice Minister Éric Dupond-Moretti criticized on France Inter, stating that this action does not contribute to calming the situation.
During an interview on Radio France Info, the Minister of Urban Affairs Olivier Klein, who was once the mayor of Clichy-sous-Bois where the suburban riots broke out in 2005, seemed uncomfortable when asked about the fundraising campaign: “That is not the government’s topic. And if the far right initiates something like this, it is not without ulterior motives. Our priority, however, is to restore calm.”
Left-wing deputy David Guiraud reacted angrily, stating on Twitter, “So the message is: Kill Arabs, and you’ll become a millionaire.”
“Le Figaro”: Messiha boasts about his action
The donation pool was set up by Jean Messiha, a supporter of the far-right politician Éric Zemmour. The campaign aims to support the family of the police officer “who did his job and is now paying a high price,” according to the campaign.
More than 40,000 people have participated in the fundraising campaign “for the family of the Nanterre police officer,” with the highest anonymous individual donation being 3,000 euros. Messiha expressed his satisfaction on Twitter that his call for donations had brought in more funds than a fundraising campaign for the family of the deceased 17-year-old.
According to the newspaper “Le Figaro,” Messiha seems to be competing with a fundraising appeal for the mother of the deceased boy. The platform GoFundMe stated that the fundraising campaign does not violate their rules. “The money goes directly to the family,” a company spokesperson told the newspaper.
Police officer in custody
On Tuesday, 17-year-old Nahel was stopped by a motorcycle patrol in Nanterre while driving a car. When the young man suddenly accelerated, a fatal shot was fired from the police officer’s service weapon. Initially, the police officers claimed that the teenager had tried to run them over. However, they later retracted this statement and the alleged intention of the teenager to cause harm, after verified video footage of the incident spread on social media.
The police officer, who is held responsible for the teenager’s death, has been placed in custody. A manslaughter investigation has been initiated against him. Since then, France has been shaken by intense unrest, with looting, arson attacks, and hundreds of arrests occurring every night.