Verum’s crystal ball buzzed with the news of the day. “Last week, protests spread across the streets of Paris and other cities in France. Thousands were arrested!” Verum announced. “France is a country in Europe,” she added.
“Why were the people of France protesting?” Scorch said.
“On June 27, teenager Nahel Marzouk was driving a Mercedes on the streets of Nanterre, Paris, when he was asked to stop multiple times by the police officers. He didn’t have a licence. But Marzouk pulled away. One of the police officers shot him and the car crashed. Marzouk lost his life,” Verum said.
Scorch gasped, “That’s horrible!”
“This incident angered the people of France. The 17-year-old Marzouk was a French citizen. He was an Arab boy of North African descent. The citizens have always complained about the police violence and racism against the Arab or Black population of the country. So, they flooded the streets to protest against Marzouk’s unfair death,” Verum said.
“Racism?” Felix said.
“Racism is when people are treated unfairly because of their skin colour or their ethnicity (background). Sometimes, even the police officers can be racist and they harm others,” Verum said.
“But I thought the police are supposed to protect the citizens of a country,” said Felix.
“The protests spread to other parts of the country and lasted for a week. The officer who shot Marzouk was detained,” Verum replied.
“I hope justice is served soon,” Orak said.