Nahel Merzouk Shooting: Fund for Accused Officer Tops €1M

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Facts

  • A fundraiser for the police officer who shot and killed French teenager Nahel Merzouk during a traffic stop has surpassed €1M ($1.09M), in a case that has sparked widespread unrest throughout France. It has thus far raised nearly five times more than a fundraiser for the family of Merzouk.1
  • The fundraising campaign was established by Jean Messiha, a former advisor to the far-right politician and presidential candidate Marine Le Pen.2
  • Political figures condemned the fundraiser and called on the website GoFundMe to remove it from their site. A member of Pres. Emmanuel Macron's En Marche party called it "indecent and scandalous," while Merzouk's grandmother said her "heart aches" over the development.3
  • The 38-year-old officer who fired the fatal shot during the traffic stop in Nanterre last Tuesday has been charged with voluntary homicide. A prosecutor has said that the legal grounds for shooting Merzouk "were not met," while the officer says he needed to protect himself, his colleagues, and the public.4
  • French law prohibits fundraisers that go towards costs and fines associated with "criminal and correctional matters," with a GoFundMe spokesperson saying that since the fund is going directly to the family of the officer and not towards a legal defense fund, it's legal under French law.5
  • The killing of Merzouk touched off widespread unrest in France since last week, with at least 2K people being detained since his death.6

Sources: 1POLITICO, 2Euronews, 3Al Jazeera, 4Independent, 5Guardian, and 6CNN.

Narratives

  • Left narrative, as provided by The National. The disparity between the money raised for Nahel versus the officer who slayed him speaks volumes about how France has not reckoned with the racist society that led to his death. This fund risks instigating more violence, and the far-right provocateur behind it knows exactly what he's doing with this venture. GoFundMe needs to remove this fundraiser for the sake of public safety and to help France heal from the wounds of discrimination.
  • Right narrative, as provided by The Freeman. What happened to Nahel was tragic, but nothing justifies the widespread violence we've seen grip the country. The officer accused should not be crucified before facing a court of law, and a civilized nation cannot make decisions based on "woke" mob rule. We need peace, now more than ever, so that the real work can begin. Even the grandmother of Nahel has spoken out against the senseless violence, as none of this destruction can bring him back.