A musical quiz organized during a village festival near Belfort went off the rails on June 22, with insulting remarks toward immigrants, according to witnesses, which led the Belfort prosecutor to open an investigation for incitement to racial hatred. “In view of the facts reported, I have opened an investigation for ‘public incitement to hatred or violence on the grounds of origin, ethnicity, nation or race’, and for ‘public insult to hatred or violence on the grounds of origin, ethnicity, nation or race'”, public prosecutor Jessica Vonderscher told AFP.
During a musical quiz organized during the Midsummer bonfire in Lepuix, 15 kilometers from Belfort, several people were shocked to hear that a team of participants was called “Dirty Immigrant”. “This has been said several times on the microphone,” says environmental activist Vincent Jeudy, who took part in these festivities which brought together several thousand people. “I thought I had heard wrong and I asked my friends if they heard like me. Which they confirmed. »
After checking the registration lists with the evening’s host, one of the teams was actually named “Sali Migré”. “I didn’t realize it. 240 people appear in less than two minutes. It’s going at great speed,” “The host, Frédéric Musslin, lamented. He stressed that he had no control over the registration of players or their pseudonyms. “We apologize,” said the organizer of the festivities.
“Climate of hatred”
At this stage of the investigation entrusted to the research brigade of the Territoire-de-Belfort gendarmerie group, no complaint has been filed, the prosecutor said. The prefect of the Territoire de Belfort, Rapahël Sodini, has contacted the public prosecutor of Belfort on the basis of article 40 of the code of criminal procedure, which obliges any elected official or civil servant to alert the courts when they observe or become aware of a crime or offence, the prefecture said.
The Belfort section of the Human Rights League specifies that itr “received several hateful acts or remarks during the last week”, such as swastikas drawn on the door of an unaccompanied minor or eminently racist remarks during the distribution of leaflets. “A climate of hatred and acts of violence are being established which are poisoning our society and today threatening social peace in France and in our territory,” denounces the association in a press release.
