THE national council of the Movement of Young Communists of France (MJCF), held in Paris on July 1-2, shares the public’s indignation after Nahel, a 17-year-old boy, was killed by a police officer in Nanterre on June 27.

First of all, we want to express our solidarity with the victim’s family.

It appears on videos online that nothing can justify the police officer’s use of his gun.

Refusing to comply with orders does not legitimise an execution; this is no regular police intervention, but a murder.

Following this event, anger and emotion are legitimate and to be expected. It has led to violent confrontations with the police and destruction of public buildings.

Neighbours will be the first victims of this rioting. These deteriorations are regrettable, however, only justice, a fair sentence for those responsible, will be able to bring appeasement; the fact that the police officer has been charged with murder is a good sign.

Even though the violent events on the streets are not political revolts, they do have a political background.

But the lack of political organisation leads the youth to transform anger into revenge — uncontrolled violent acts.

This reinforces our will to build the MJCF as the political organisation able to speak to every young person in France, particularly those who are currently excluded from existing organisations.

The MJCF considers that although this murder does not shame all police officers as individuals, it must lead to major changes in the institution.

The relationship between police and the people, particularly in poorer neighbourhoods, is too often ruled by violence, confrontation, humiliation and racist discrimination.

Racial profiling and police violence are common. Other murders were committed on grounds of “refusal to comply” in 2023.

The lack of public services and mass unemployment in these neighbourhoods make the youth feel like an underclass — the promise of republican equality for all those that live in our national territory is broken.

Twenty years after the 2005 events, where the three weeks of rioting followed the deaths of two young people fleeing the police in the poor suburb of Clichy-sous-Bois, the core issues remain unsolved if not amplified.

At the same time, the 2017 Public Security Act relaxed the use of guns during police stops.

The blurred legal framework introduced by this law enables a police officer to shoot without his life being endangered. This law creates a sense of impunity in certain policemen.

Today, the right and the far right reveal their violent and racist faces. Refusing to denounce Nahel’s murder and lying about his criminal record are a class reaction against calling into question the police as an institution.

By talking about “civil war” and calling for the army to lead the repression, rightwingers hope to benefit from these events and implement their authoritarian, racist and anti-democratic agenda. They also hide the core social issues.

Some small far-right organisations have used the events to attack young people and supporters Nahel’s family, like in Angers.

The 43rd national congress of the MJCF declared: “The MJCF calls for a republican national police that serves citizens and defends community policing.

“Formation and recruitment must be reinforced to implement a public service focused on prevention before repression.”

In this framework, we call for justice for Nahel and his family, the repeal of the first article from the 2017 Public Security Act, the repeal of mandatory identity checks, and the creation of a National Police Violence Observatory, under public control, to identify and analyse acts of violence committed by police officers and their administrative and judiciary treatment.

It must lead to the exclusion of police officers who committed violent or racist acts.

The MJCF calls to transform the justified anger against the police into a strong movement to turn the police into an institution that serves people’s interests.