One year after the tragedy which cost the life of Thomas, a 16-year-old young man, in Crépol, the Drôme Prefecture has just banned several demonstrations. In a press release, the Prefect justifies his choice, fearing “tensions between groups of opposing ideologies”.
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Valence, Romans-sur-Isère, Bourg-de-Péage and Crépol. This weekend, several tributes were planned in these Drôme communes, a year after the death of Thomas, a 16-year-old young man, who died of a stab wound in a general fight during the Crépol ball (Drôme).
But in a press release, published this Monday, November 25, the Prefect of Drôme announced the ban on all planned demonstrations. To justify this decision, he evokes the tensions already present in the region, in particular due to the death of another young man, Nicolas, who played in the same rugby club as Thomas. He was shot in the head while waiting to enter a nightclub.
These two dramas went far beyond the borders of the Romans-Péage rugby club and have since then been the subject of certain political exploitation. A few days after Thomas' death, small far-right groups launched rallies, often violent, in working-class neighborhoods of Valencia, where several suspects in the murder came from. Political figures, such as a candidate from Eric Zemmour's party, had also fanned the embers, calling for “ratonnades”.
The tension never really subsided. In recent weeks, numerous leaflets, letters and public declarations have left the Prefect fearing “significant unrest and clashes ideological in Romans-sur-Isère, Bourg-de-Péage, Crépol and Valence, November 30 next”.
Faced with these fears, the prefect of Drôme, “Guarantor of respect for the exercise of the right to demonstrate but also for public order has decided to take the necessary, appropriate and proportionate measures likely to prevent possible disturbances on the public highway” he specifies in the press release.
A year after Thomas' death, the investigation continues. Eight people accused are still placed in pre-trial detention.
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