A fundraiser for a French police officer who shot and killed a 17-year-old has topped more than $1 million as protests continue to rage nationwide.
The GoFundMe for the officer had raised more than $1.4 million by Monday evening. The page was organized by Jean Messiha, a one-time adviser to French far-right politician Marine Le Pen.
She wrote that the page was for the officer, “who has done his job and is now paying a high price.”
The family of the teen killed, Nahel Merzouk, has also started a similar fundraiser, which has not garnered as much in donations, just $220,000 by Monday morning, The Independent reported.
Firefighters extinguish burning vehicles during clashes between protesters and police, after the death of Nahel Merzouk, in the Paris suburb of Nanterre, France. ( Reuters/Stephanie Lecocq)
“It’s insulting to Merzouk’s family,” French lawyer Carole-Olivia Monteno told reporters. “It only increases hate where there’s too much of it already. It’s completely inappropriate and politically it does nothing.”
The officer involved in the killing has been charged with murder and is being held in jail without bail.
Merzouk was working as a delivery driver when he was shot and killed during a traffic stop last week. The death ignited massive protests and riots throughout France.
France’s Ministry of Interior said there were 5,662 vehicle fires and more than 1,000 damaged buildings.
The mother of killed 17-year-old Nahel shouts “Justice for Nahel” prior to a march on June 29 in Nanterre, outside Paris. The killing of Nahel during a traffic check Tuesday, captured on video, shocked the country and stirred up long-simmering tensions between young people and police in housing projects and other disadvantaged neighborhoods around France. (AP)
In addition, police have made more than 3,300 arrests, many in Paris alone. The average age of those arrested is 17.
Meanwhile, there have been at least 254 attacks on law enforcement premises with more than 720 personnel injured, the report said. More than 1,000 buildings have been burned or damaged during the unrest.
French President Emmanuel Macron has called on parents of teenagers involved in the violence to take responsibility for their children’s actions during the riots.
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On Sunday, Merzouk’s grandmother, identified only as Nadia, urged protesters to remain calm.
Police officers walk during a demonstration against police in Marseille, southern France on Saturday after a fourth consecutive night of rioting in France over the killing of a teenager by police.
“I’m telling them to stop,” she told reporters. “Don’t destroy the schools, don’t destroy the buses. We want things to calm down.”
Fox News’ Bradford Betz contributed to this report.
