Clashes in Margny-lès-Compiègne during white march for "Rabbit"
A tribute to Paul Tancre, who died following a police chase, turned violent on Sunday in the Oise. Two people were detained during the clashes.
Tensions and detentions during white march for "Rabbit" in the Oise
The demonstration quickly escalated into confrontation. According to 20minutes.fr, the tribute held on Sunday in Margny-lès-Compiègne to Paul Tancre, nicknamed "Rabbit", who died at the end of August during a chase with the municipal police, was marked by clashes with law enforcement.
Shortly after relatives of the deceased spoke—claiming he "would have been killed because he was part of the travelling community" and describing the municipal police officers as "cowboys"—confrontations broke out, resulting in two detentions.
The white march towards the cemetery, initially scheduled for 2 p.m., was only able to begin an hour and a half later, in an atmosphere that remained tense. "Justice for Rabbit", "shame on the police": several hundred people chanted these slogans throughout the procession.
The incident dates back to Friday, 21 August in the evening. Two municipal police officers from Margny-lès-Compiègne had pursued a vehicle whose driver refused to comply. After several traffic offences, the vehicle was involved in a fatal accident. One of the officers has since been charged with vehicular homicide and placed under judicial supervision.
Anger had already spread through the local travelling community, of which Paul Tancre was a member. At the end of August, following his funeral, several individuals damaged street furniture, shops and set fire to vehicles, according to the Compiègne prosecutor's office. Two suspected individuals had been detained on Wednesday.
The prosecutor's office also opened an investigation following the circulation on social media of personal information and threats targeting the officer charged.
The mayor of Margny-lès-Compiègne, Bernard Hellal, had decided to postpone the municipal car boot sale, originally scheduled for Sunday, by one week so that the tribute could take place in a "peaceful atmosphere", according to a Facebook post. He had also expressed "sincere and respectful thoughts" to the relatives of the victim.
Source: Google News LU FR