Pay €2 or get soaked: Meet Hamza, viral water gun boy in Paris who 'taxes' cyclists

A 14-year-old boy has become famous on social media, sparking political debate for his behaviour near the Canal Saint-Martin in Paris. The boy known as Hamza has been seen on the street firing his water pistol at cyclists, drivers and municipal police officers.

Multiple videos of firing a water pistol have surfaced on social media. In a video, he is seen pushing a woman into the canal. In another clip, he is seen firing a water pistol at a police officer who is inside the vehicle. The moment captured on the phone has gone viral on social media, prompting medias for his interview.

Hamza's customs checkpoint

When asked about his actions, Hamza said he had created a makeshift "customs checkpoint" along the Canal Saint-Martin, where he stopped cyclists and threatened to spray them with his water pistol unless they paid him €2. He claimed the idea was inspired by what he had seen in Algeria, where, according to him, customs officers often demand money before allowing vehicles to continue their journey.

“In Algeria … when you pay the customs officers, they don’t search you … you can go on,” he told Le Parisien. “I’ve got the same idea,” he added. His activities have earned him the nickname "Hamza La Douane" (Hamza the Customs Officer). Hamza also said his father had no objection to his spending time by the canal, according to several media reports.

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Hamza said, “He leaves me alone because he knows I’m not doing anything bad. All I do is water people and the police from time to time. My mother doesn’t know about it.” His father, whose identity was not disclosed, told Le Parisien that Hamza was "a nice boy" and insisted that "he doesn't hurt anyone."

Some local residents said they found Hamza's behaviour entertaining. In social media posts, several users compared him to Gavroche, the mischievous young character from Les Misérables who eventually joins a republican uprising. According to the police, the teenager has been detained around a dozen or so times, including over allegations of offences more serious than spraying people with a water pistol or swimming in the canal. However, authorities did not disclose the nature of those alleged offences.