Fundraiser for policeman who shot French teenager reflects polarisation

FILE PHOTO: Flowers are seen at Nelson Mandela Square, where Nahel, a 17-year-old teenager was killed by a French police officer during a traffic stop, in Nanterre, France, July 2, 2023. The placards read "How Many Nahel have not been filmed ?" and "Justice and Truth for Nahel". REUTERS/Nacho Doce

PARIS (Reuters) -A campaign to raise money for the family of the policeman who shot dead French teenager Nahel M. topped 1.47 million euros($1.6 million) on Tuesday, far outstripping donations to Nahel's family and causing shame and anger among many French people.

The fallout from the shooting, and from the wave of rioting it triggered in France's poor suburbs, continued to dominate political debate, with Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne advocating in parliament a crackdown on young rioters and their parents.