On Parasites, Players, and Dead Teenagers: France/Nanterre/Nahel

​ Dyab Abou Jahjah

Let's start by distinguishing between riots and looting. Looters are thieves. Looting is not the same as rioting. Looters prey on riots and take advantage of the chaos. They have no other motive, they are not angry—they are cynical and indifferent. During moments of great unrest and confusion, parasites like looters always emerge.
But it’s not just the looters; politicians also prey on riots by either condemning them excessively or by supporting them. They score points with their voters. The media do the same, eagerly exploiting such events with their biased reporting, exaggerated statements in talk shows, and clickbait headlines. Often, they are only interested in what it means for their business model. Just like the looters, but on a different scale.

Then we have those who see riots as a game. With feigned outrage. Feigned victimhood. Feigned anger. This group is much larger than often assumed. They simply want to play a cat-and-mouse game with the police. They want to be the hero in their neighborhood, in front of their friends. They see themselves as if in a movie, like Athena (watch it on Netflix), or Banlieue 13, or of course the classic, La Haine. They want to play, in both meanings of the word: to engage and to act.
These young men just want to create chaos. Often, that’s all there is to it. Why do they want that? Because they are bored. Because they have nothing better to do. Because they are given too much freedom by their parents at this age, during adolescence. Too much freedom and too little upbringing. Because they get caught up in the dynamics of the crowd, losing their individuality. They become part of a performance, a movie, a reality show, playing their role.
I saw this video where a father came to take his child off the streets, where he was rioting, and literally put him in the trunk of his car. If more fathers acted like this, there would be no riots today. Parenting matters.)
What is the role of culture? Yes, it certainly plays a role. The subculture of urban neighborhoods, the cités, as described above, is one that is always lurking, ready to spark a riot. But also French culture itself. The mainstream culture is one of rioting: rioting French farmers, rioting Gilets Jaunes, a country in constant turmoil. In that sense, these young rioters are as French as can be. France is a country founded on a riot. The French Revolution is celebrated in La Marseillaise, and it is the mother of all riots.
One could argue that the difference lies in motivation. The French Revolution was not a nihilistic riot. But the rioting farmers see their cause as worthy and just. The rioting Gilets Jaunes do too. And so do the rioting youth.
Which brings me to the final group of rioting youth. Those who are truly angry about the death of Nahel. They are a minority. Those who are genuinely angry, not just pretending to be. Those who are truly angry are the ones who do not want to be but are forced to be, against their will and interests. They are authentic. Only with them can we speak of a citizen uprising. Because a young man was killed by public officials of the Republic.
That is where I will end. So I will end where I began.
Nahel, 17 years old, was shot dead. During a traffic stop, he was threatened by two officers who pointed their weapons at his head. He panicked, drove away, and was shot dead. This looks like an execution. The officer involved saw that he was dealing with a minor. "A child's face!" someone in the neighborhood cried out. He was not in mortal danger. Yet he drew his weapon. Struck the teenager and told him he would "get a bullet in the head." He saw the face of a child, but it did not look like his own child. It looked like the faces of those he sees as criminals. It looked like the faces of those who carried out attacks in France. The face of an enemy. Not of a child, a citizen, a fellow human being.
From the young man’s perspective, a similar mechanism is at play. The officer's face also resembles that of an enemy. The French occupier from the stories of his older Algerian relatives. The Israeli soldier he sees on TV. But above all, the French police officer from the banlieue who has looked at him sideways all his life, treating him like a petty criminal.
For Nahel, the police are not protectors but a threat—life-threatening. Given the outcome of the traffic stop, this perception appears to have been confirmed. Nahel was reckless. Driving without a license, acting foolishly—he should have received a fine. But Nahel saw the gun in the hand of the enemy, aimed at his head. He heard the threat of being killed. He realized he had to flee, that he had no choice but to escape his executioner. He did not succeed. He was killed. He did not have to die.
And now what?
The riots will continue. For all kinds of reasons. Because of all the dynamics mentioned above. Everyone will score points, everyone will profit. The looters, the politicians, the media—all the parasites. Only those who are dead and those who seek a solution will lose.
Then, the riots will temporarily stop. But the divide will deepen, the hatred will grow. A more open and destructive conflict is on the horizon.