Protests erupt in Belgium over killing of teen delivery driver in France by police

By Selen Temizer

BRUSSELS (AA) - A number of people took to the streets of Belgium’s capital on Thursday to support protests in France over the police killing of a 17-year-old delivery driver in a Paris suburb, setting vehicles on fire before police intervened and detained some of them

According to local media, a group of young people issued a call on social media in support of the demonstrations in France over the death of the teenager, identified as Nahel M., who was shot and killed by a police officer on Tuesday in Nanterre after failing to stop during a traffic check.

Demonstrators gathered in the centrally located district of Anneessens in Brussels and threw cobblestones, smashed windows at bus stops and set some vehicles on fire.

Firefighters were dispatched to the areas.

A clash broke out between the police and the demonstrators on Maurice Lemonnier Boulevard in the center of the city.

Anneessens metro station was closed and vehicle entry to the area was prohibited.

The police reportedly detained around 10 demonstrators.

Nahel’s death sparked protests in Nanterre, leading to overnight clashes between demonstrators and police.

The 38-year-old police officer who killed Nahel was detained by the General Inspectorate of the National Police (IGPN) as part of an investigation into the intentional homicide by the Nanterre prosecutor’s office.