White march in Margny-lès-Compiègne turns to clashes following death of Paul Tancre
A white march in tribute to Paul Tancre, who died at the end of August during a high-speed chase with police, descended into violence on Sunday in Margny-lès-Compiègne, with two arrests.
Clashes in Margny-lès-Compiègne during tribute to man who died after refusing to comply with police
A white march organised in tribute to Paul Tancre, known as "Lapin", who was killed at the end of August during a high-speed chase with municipal police, resulted in violent clashes on Sunday in Margny-lès-Compiègne (Oise), according to ledauphine.com. Two arrests took place during the event.
The procession, which brought together several hundred people, was scheduled to set off towards the cemetery at around 2 p.m. It ultimately departed an hour and a half later, under considerable tension. Those close to the deceased took the floor before departure, asserting that he had "been killed because he was part of the Traveller community" and describing the municipal police as "cowboys". Clashes with law enforcement broke out shortly after these statements. Throughout the route, the procession chanted "Justice for Lapin" and "shame on the police".
The mayor of Margny-lès-Compiègne, Bernard Hellal, had announced on Facebook the postponement by one week of the municipal car boot sale originally scheduled for Sunday, wishing for the tribute to take place in a "peaceful climate". He had also expressed "sincere and respectful thoughts" to the victim's loved ones.
Events of 21 August
On the night of Friday 21 August, two municipal police officers from Margny-lès-Compiègne chased a vehicle whose driver was refusing to comply. After several traffic violations, the car was involved in a fatal accident. Its driver, Paul Tancre, died. One of the two officers was charged with causing death by dangerous driving and placed under judicial supervision.
Violence during the funeral, convictions underway
The death of Paul Tancre provoked strong anger within the local Traveller community. During his funeral at the end of August, several individuals damaged public property, vandalised shops and set vehicles on fire, according to the Compiègne prosecutor's office. Two suspects were arrested on Wednesday.
The first appeared in court on Thursday under an accelerated guilty plea procedure: he was sentenced to nine months' imprisonment with electronic monitoring. The second contests the charges against him and will stand trial on 9 November.
The Compiègne prosecutor's office has moreover opened an investigation following the circulation on social media of personal information and threats targeting the municipal police officer who was charged.
Source: Google News FR — Crime (fr)