rally organizers take “a good slap” in court

Their “passion for cars”, cars with smoking tires spinning at night in parking lots, earned them a trial before the criminal court from Melun, in Seine-et-Marne. Five young rodeo organizers autos promised, this Monday, January 20, 2025, to now live this passion “legally”.

Young defendants

They are between 20 and 23 years old, were born in the Paris region, still live with their parents or grandparents. One is training at the SNCF, two would like to work as delivery drivers, another is starting out as a craftsman, a fifth is an apprentice landscaper.

Standing in front of the president of the court who will lecture them, they are required to explain their common hobby: the organization of various illegal rodeos (running) of personalized motorized vehicles (tuning), having degenerated into damage and clashes with the CRS.

In Seine-et-Marne, “rassos” have been popular for years. And on November 2, in Villiers-en-Bière, there were more than 2,000 vehicles – who came including from abroad – who converged towards the Carrefour car park.

“I couldn’t turn back”

Investigators easily identified the organizers, thanks to videos live posted on social networksby the group DCH Race.

Referred to as “number one”a 21-year-old man with a thin mustache recognizes the facts straight away. “I started organizing events where there were 50 of us. We reached 2,000. I couldn’t turn back. »

“The publication of the videos fueled things,” replied the president of the court. “His life is built around cars, he only lives for cars,” insisted the young man’s lawyer, M^e Sonia Boundaoui.

The magistrates agree that the images are “spectacular”, when a car makes “ drifts» (turns), in the light of fireworks on the video projected at the hearing.

The president mentions a sentence from DCH calling a rally: “Go ahead now, we will burn everything down”. The mention made friends of the defendants in the room smile.

But the judge quickly raises her voice. She speaks of “mortal” risks, of caddiessent en bloc to the police or piled up in barricades of fireworks mortars fired “by the hundreds” near a gas station. “It’s not funny. If you get a firework on your head, you get burned.”

“No suitable place”

“I know it’s not right what we did but we don’t have a suitable place,” defends a defendant, saying claimnot only « a piece of land “. “Everything is not owed to you,” replied the magistrate, reminding him that it is not authorized because it is “dangerous”.

“For DCH, there was no accident,” the 20-year-old man tries to argue. “It’s luck,” replies the president. “A father was there with his baby, like at a show. If a BMW loses control, they are dead,” insists the prosecutor.

“Our goal is to live our passion”

Before the trial, DCH Race had published a video on Tik Tok where a hooded spokesperson assured: “You hear things like the gatherings are dangerous, unorganized, all of that is false.” “Our goal is to live our passion», she said in the middle of masked young people.

In court, the tone is one of repentance. “I am working on a project, in contact with the Germans, for a legal festival, on a circuit,” assures the presumed number 1.

“DCH has almost become a brand”, “he doesn’t want to give up”, his council will comment.

Suspended prison

The prosecution is demanding a six to eight month suspended prison sentence. The convictions fall: three to six months suspended prison sentence. On the other hand, they were acquitted with regard to endangering others, in accordance with what Mr.^e Justine Besson: “These young people were unknown to the policeand there was a media frenzy. Community service would be more appropriate than a suspended prison sentence. »

After the statement of the deliberations, one of the rodeo “ambience artists” promised: “we are going to try to do legal, that put usa good slap ».

Source AFP (with AGB)

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