Death of Tom in Crepol: MPs observe a minute’s silence in the National Assembly on Tuesday afternoon

A memory in a half-cycle. A day after Thomas was paid tribute in front of his high school in Roman-sur-Isère, MPs observed a minute’s silence at the National Assembly on Tuesday afternoon. This morning the Conference of Presidents of the Assembly took note of this decision. A minute of silence must be observed at 15:00, before traditional questions to the government.

A few days after the indictment, this Saturday, of nine people, including three minors, for “murder committed by an organized gang”, “attempted murder” or “intentional violence committed at a rally”, Olivier Veran, government spokesman, who attended the memorial ceremony for the boy who died from a stab wound during a ball in the village of Crepol (Drome) on November 19, in particular, believed that this murder “is not news or a fight on the sidelines of a village ball, it is a tragedy that confronts us at risk of change in our society if we fail to meet this challenge.”

Identity pressure

In fact, within days, calls for revenge have multiplied in identity circles. Far-right demonstrations of force in Romanes-sur-Isere on Saturday night and Sunday led to “unacceptable violence” with 24 arrests and five injuries among police officers, the Valence prosecutor said. On Sunday, about forty identity activists gathered in the city center and were dispersed by police, according to the prefecture, which reported seven arrests.

This Monday evening in Lyon the police had to disperse a rally banned by the Rhône prefecture. One hundred people gathered chanted slogans like “The French are waking up, you are at home here” and carried banners guaranteeing support for the “nationalist youth of the Crepol.” According to videos posted on social media, particularly on the Facebook page of the group Les Remparts, masked men also held a banner saying “immigration kills” and shouted “Islam outside Europe.” Following these events, the far right organized several violent rallies.