Belfort: two young men convicted of violence against police officers
Two adult men were convicted on Thursday in Belfort for throwing projectiles at law enforcement during secondary school student protests. With no prior criminal records, they are among 34 young people arrested since the start of the mobilisation.
Convictions during secondary school student protests
According to BFM TV, two young men were convicted on Thursday, 1st October by the Belfort magistrates' court for violence against law enforcement during secondary school student protests. The two defendants, previously unknown to the judicial system, are among 34 young people arrested since Tuesday, 29th September in Belfort.
Judged in immediate appearance proceedings, they received different sentences. The first was sentenced to one year in prison with probationary suspension for two years. The second received 140 hours of community service, with six months' imprisonment in the event of non-compliance.
Profile of the convicted men
The first defendant, living near Montbéliard in the Doubs, admitted to throwing projectiles at law enforcement and insulting them. He came to Belfort to support secondary school students' demands and had interrupted his business studies. He denied rebelling, stating that "the protest got out of hand, I let myself get carried away." He had the letters ACAB tattooed on his fingers.
His lawyer, Enguerrand Bagot, presented him as a poorly guided student who came to express his anxiety about his future, rather than as a violent activist. Prosecutor Paul-Edouard Lallois described ACAB as a word "advocated by Black Blocs," denouncing "extremely serious acts" committed "during a secondary school movement where young people are protesting in a completely peaceful manner."
The second defendant, undergoing BTS maintenance training, also admitted to throwing stones at law enforcement and setting fire to a bin. With his face concealed by a balaclava he said he received from a window, he explained that he had been influenced by others: "People were handing out stones saying 'throw, throw' (...) I let myself be influenced, I didn't think, I was stupid." His lawyer, Justine Lurati, described him as "a decent kid" who "behaved badly" but became aware of the seriousness of the facts while in custody.
Reactions from the prosecution
Prosecutor Alexandre Vial rejected the argument that the young people had been led astray. He highlighted the "rather surprising profile" of many of the young people arrested with clean criminal records. "Everyone got swept up against their will. One might think we had legions of young people who found themselves despite themselves with balaclavas throwing stones at the police," he said ironically, expressing doubt about the sincerity of their explanations.
Source: BFM TV