The Observer view on the riots in France: a grim tale of the growing gulf between haves and have-nots

Right- and leftwing politicians, social scientists, analysts and commentators have rushed to variously condemn, explain, exploit and justify the fury and violence that erupted in many French cities after Tuesday’s fatal police shooting of Nahel Merzouk, a 17-year-old boy of north African descent. But some of the most revealing and insightful testimony came from Kendra, a resident of the Pablo Picasso estate in the Nanterre suburb of Paris, near to where the teenager was killed during a traffic-stop. There have been 21 fatal police traffic-stop shootings since 2020. Most of the victims were of black or Arab origin.

“For hours last night, there were young people everywhere, in groups on lots of different roads,” Kendra, 40, told Guardian correspondent Angelique Chrisafis. “I really think young people here consider themselves at war. They see it as war against the system. It is not just against the police, it goes further than that, otherwise we wouldn’t be seeing it all across France. It’s not just the police under attack but town halls and buildings being targeted… There’s a political dimension, a sense of the system not working. Young people feel discriminated against and ignored.”