A spate of shootings in French cities has drawn attention to the growing number of victims of drug-related organised crime. While the government's answer has largely been to get tough on law and order, campaigners argue repression alone is not enough, and are calling for France to follow Italy's example in involving everyday citizens in the fight.
Shot dead at the age of 20 while parking his car in Marseille, Mehdi Kessaci was not involved in trafficking. Investigators believe he was targeted because of his brother Amine’s outspoken anti-drugs activism – a warning, they fear, aimed at silencing opposition.
