A French community commemorates a teenager killed by police. The background is political and racial tensions

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NANTERRE, France (AP) — The mother of a French teenager of North African descent killed by police is holding a silent march to commemorate his death a year ago. The shooting sparked shock, dismay and days of rioting and looting across France. The march comes at a politically tense time, with hate speech overshadowing campaigning for this weekend’s snap parliamentary elections. The anti-immigrant Rassemblement National party is leading in the polls. The party wants to strengthen police powers to use their weapons and has historical ties to racism and anti-Semitism. Family members and friends are gathering in the Paris suburb of Nanterre to remember 17-year-old Nahel Merzouk.