The recent riots in France have raised questions about French police’s "larger purpose" in the country, stated Daniel Nabil Maroun, a professor in the Department of French & Italian, on FRANCE 24, the French state-owned international news television network based in Paris.

The riots broke out after the recent shooting of a 17-year-old, identified as Nahel M., by a police officer in the Paris suburb of Nanterre when he was pulled over for traffic violations. The incident sparked several nights of violent unrest in the capital and cities across France and resulted in curfews and limited public transportation services at night in most major cities in France.

Maroun explained that the incident has led to questions regarding the role of the police in France.

“I think there’s a contentious atmosphere currently, trying to understand what role police officers, gendarmes or just national security as a whole has inside of France,” Maroun told FRANCE 24. “Is it more of a tool of a government? A president, prime minister, a political entity? Or is its purpose potentially geared towards understanding and protecting the citizens of France? And so from that perspective I believe we’ve arrived at another contentious moment inside of the country trying to understand the larger purpose of what police officers are supposed to be doing.”

You can read the associated blog post and hear the interview with Dr Maroun on FRANCE 24's website.

Editor's note: This story first appeared on the Department of French & Italian website.