A far-right French politician has called off a fundraiser campaign for the family of the police officer accused of killing a teenager in the suburbs of Paris after it received more than €1.5m (£1.29m) in donations.
Riots broke out in Paris and other French cities last Tuesday after a 17-year-old boy of Algerian descent, Nahel Merzouk, was shot dead in his car by a police officer during a traffic check.
The 38-year-old officer has been charged with voluntary homicide and remanded in custody. He claims he had the right to fire his gun to protect himself, a colleague and other road users.
The online fundraiser by Jean Messiha, an independent right-wing populist and former adviser to politician Marine Le Pen, was severely criticised for pitting the far-right against the residents of poor suburbs with immigrant origins.
He said the fundraiser attracted more than 100,000 private donations, dwarfing donations to Nahel's family leading to public ire.
Mr Messiha on Tuesday announced the closing of the crowdfunding campaign for the family of the officer, identified only as Florian M, while hailing it as a "historic symbol of national generosity".
He equated the response to a "tsunami" in support of law enforcement officers "who in a certain way fight daily so that France remains France".
He launched an initial appeal on French fundraising site Leetchi, but shut it down after claiming that the platform required too much paperwork, Radio France Internationale reported.
Mr Messiha then switched to the American platform GoFundMe, whose terms of service forbid raising funds to be used to pay the legal fees of people accused of violent crimes.
Nahel's grandmother said she was heartbroken by the donations, adding: "He took the life of my grandson. This man must pay, the same as everyone."
Cars burn after a march for Nahel— (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
The family filed a complaint alleging that the crowdfunding was based on deception to "criminalise" the victim and win support for the police officer, according to France-Info.
Left-wing politicians branded the fundraiser as shameful and called for it to be shut down, while the far-right defended the police force, which they claimed was a target for violence in the suburbs. "This police officer is the victim of a national witch-hunt and it is a disgrace," Mr Messiha had tweeted.
Prime minister Elisabeth Borne said the collection for the jailed officer did not contribute to calming the unrest while justice minister Eric Dupond-Moretti warned against a populist "instrumentalisation".
Socialist lawmaker Arthur Delaporte filed a complaint against the crowdfunding earlier Tuesday contesting its legal grounds, hours before Mr Messiha closed it.
Police stand amid firecrackers on the third night of protests— (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
Thousands of protesters have been arrested since fiery clashes first erupted in and around the Paris suburb of Nanterre where the teenager was killed.
The family of the slain teen has pleaded for the unrest to “calm down” after council-run buildings including libraries and primary schools, and law enforcement stations were attacked, and vehicles and buildings were torched.
The aunt of the slain teen told The Independent: “The family is very much against the violence. “But I hope that Nahel’s death is going to trigger some kind of change that means this never happens again.”
French authorities said rioters have torched more than 5,000 cars, looted shopping malls and targeted town halls, schools and state-owned properties considered symbols of the state.
Prime minister Borne, addressing lawmakers in parliament, said parents of rioters who were minors should receive fines and training on parental responsibility.
