France is roiled by protests after police killed a teenager. Here's why

When a police officer shot and killed a teenager named Nahel M. in the Paris suburb of Nanterre on Tuesday, outrage boiled over and spread across France. Protests have gripped big cities, as people call for justice — and riots have also broken out, bringing violence, fires, and hundreds of arrests.

The slain teen's family has not released his surname, only his last initial.

Nahel's killing is now a rallying call, in a similar way that George Floyd's murder by a police officer in Minneapolis in 2020 sparked widespread unrest over the police use of force, particularly against minorities.

Here's what's happening with the protests, and how it all got started.