BOBIGNY, France: Several hundred people marched peacefully in a Paris suburb on Thursday seeking justice for a teenager killed last week in a collision with a police car.
The death of Wanys R. sparked tensions in the town of La Courneuve near major venues for this summer’s Paris Olympics.
On March 13, police chased a motorcycle driven by an 18-year-old boy in the nearby town of Aubervilliers after he failed to obey a traffic stop.
A video that has been widely shared online shows a police car hitting his scooter, killing him and injuring his passenger.
Police and investigators have so far insisted it was an accident, but his family has accused him of “voluntarily” hitting the scooter.
Old brother of Wanys R. who did not give his name, spoke to the media on the steps of the La Courneuve townhall.
He said that his little brother was killed by the police as he believed that they decided to take his life unfairly. “We are only seeking justice. No violence, no excess,” he said, before the march started.
Seventeen-year-old Taif, the school fellow of Wanys R said the police have made it normal to kill people like him, young people. She didn’t wish to give her full name.
In June last year, killing of 17-year-old Nahel M. triggered nights of riots in the Paris suburbs and other poor localities. The cop who fired the fatal shot has been charged with voluntary homicide.
