Emotional, desperate, full of rage – why I joined the Paris protests with my teenage daughter

Sophia came to the French capital to celebrate her 18th birthday – instead, we were caught up in carnage in the suburbs, writes Amelia Loulli. Neither of us will forget what we witnessed

We all roar in support as we watch Nahel’s mum, Mounia, stand on the roof of the van outside the courts, holding a flaming flare in her hand (Amelia Loulli)

This trip to Paris with my teenage daughter, to celebrate her 18th birthday, has been filled with all of the things you might expect. Long walks through the city past endless iconic landmarks, slow brunches filled with deliciously delicate pastries, warm chocolate crepes, baked eggs.

We’ve hung out in literary haunts made famous by the likes of Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir, we’ve walked through the gardens of Renoir, climbed the incredible metal legs of the Eifel Tower and sailed along the Seine at sunset, taking in views of the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Pont Nerf Bridge.

But all of this regular luxury has been juxtaposed with the terrible news roaring through Paris of the tragic death of Nahel M – the 17-year-old shot dead by police during a traffic stop in Nanterre on Tuesday night.