His slap gave momentum to his presidential campaign in 2002. But two decades later, if François Bayrou became Prime Minister, the child who had tried to “pick his pockets” is in prison.
The scene takes place on April 9, 2002 in the popular district of Meinau, in the south of Strasbourg, less than two weeks before the first round of the presidential election, which will see Jean-Marie Le Pen qualify for the second round.
During a tense meeting with residents, François Bayrou slaps a young boy then says to him: “You don’t pick my pockets”.
The incident will take off the campaign of the UDF candidate, who will however not exceed 7% of the votes in the first round of April 21.
As for the boy aged 11 at the time, Yacine G., he turned out badly.
Ten years later, he was sentenced to four months in prison for “outrage and violence” during an altercation with police officers in Meinau. He already had six convictions on his record.
More serious, in May 2022, he received 10 years in prison for drug trafficking, as reported by Latest News from Alsace (DNA). He is the most heavily sentenced of a group of seven men and three women at the head of trafficking between the Netherlands and Alsace.
Yacine G. is then called “Sam Sam” but his nickname “Bayrou” sticks to him in his neighborhood, says one of his former lawyers, Thomas Beaugrand.
“It served him, giving him a nice side”testifies Me Beaugrand for the AFP. “But it also brought the spotlight on him, including from the police. For a delinquent, it is better not to be too exposed…”
His former lawyer sees him as a man « malin »Who “could have done something else” than drug trafficking.
“He was able to pass himself off as the fifth wheel in a drug deal, even when that wasn’t the case, and it worked. But he continued his delinquent journey and was no longer believed”he laments.
AFP met the person concerned during a meeting with detainees last year at the Strasbourg remand center. During a media discussion, he demonstrated great knowledge of current issues.
The man is also ” determined “according to Me Beaugrand, who reports that he tried to escape by jumping a high wall at the Sarreguemines remand center before destroying his spleen. “We found him between life and death in a gutter. »
