11 people to stand trial in France over teenager’s killing — Politico Europe

In France, 11 defendants will stand trial in a juvenile court in connection with the death of 16-year-old Thomas Perrotto in the village of Crépol in 2023. As Politico Europe reports, the decision to refer the case to trial cites a racial aggravating circumstance related to references to the “white race and the French nation.”

Charges in the case

According to the court decision seen by the outlet, the defendants are accused of killing Perrotto during a village festival in Crépol, attempting to murder three other people, and carrying out violent attacks against other attendees.

The investigation did not establish who delivered the fatal blow. Therefore, the judges intend to examine the case against the defendants as a group, AFP reported. Some of those involved were minors at the time of the attack. All of them are presumed innocent until their guilt is proven in court.

The court decision states that the alleged murder was accompanied by or linked to words, images, objects, or actions that could harm the honor of the victims or a group of people because of their presumed race, ethnicity, nationality, or religion. In this case, it concerns references to the “white race and the French nation.”

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Positions of the parties

The Valence prosecutor’s office initially requested that the case be referred to trial on charges of murder and attempted murder without the racial aggravating circumstance. It said that the evidence supporting it was sparse and imprecise.

Lawyer Dany Dreyfus, representing a group of event participants who filed compensation claims, said that the charges brought correspond to his side’s arguments and welcomed the work of the investigating judges. At the same time, the defense of one of the defendants challenged this classification: lawyers Seydi Ba and Diala Al-Shaman stated that their client is not personally accused of either delivering the fatal blow or making racist remarks.

A trial date has not yet been set. The lawyer for another defendant, Élise Rey-Jacquot, told RTL that she would appeal the charges, which could delay the start of the proceedings.