Violently attacked in upscale neighborhoods of Nantes, the victims disillusioned by the temporary sanctions of their minor attackers

On October 25, Rémi almost lost his life. That evening, around 6 p.m., the thirty-year-old was violently attacked in Nantes, where he had just moved a week earlier. He remembers going for a walk in the Procé park, usually quiet and bucolic, then waking up in the hospital in serious condition, after a blackout. “I had a greater than 80% chance of dying and a 7% chance of getting better”testifies to the Figaro this believer, who climbs back up and thanks heaven for having saved him. He also owes his life to a witness, a young man of 21, who was also attacked a few minutes before. “They did everything for me to die”still hallucinates Rémi, who has had his wallet stolen.

Particularly violent, his attack is not the only one recorded between October and November last year. Thus, around fifteen high school students and young men were attacked by the same gang in the Canclaux district, which also enjoys a good reputation. One of them even found himself in a coma, with lifelong consequences. Seven young people, aged 14 to 17, were arrested in December and admitted the facts. They will be tried on February 13 during a guilty hearing, before a judgment within six to nine months, in accordance with Juvenile Justice.

Curfew between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.

If he does not yet know if he will attend or if he will be represented by his lawyer, one thing is certain, Rémi has seen his daily life turned upside down. His driving license is invalid due to the head trauma suffered and, still on ITT, he had to postpone the start of his job. What's more, when he returns to Nantes after his arrest, it is not impossible that he will fall back on his attackers. According to a judicial source, five of them received a simple provisional judicial educational measure prohibiting them from appearing in the neighborhood where they committed the attacks (except to go to class), from coming into contact with the co-perpetrators and imposing on them to respect a curfew between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.

While a judicial review was required for certain young people by the Nantes public prosecutor's office, which was unable to appeal for procedural reasons, the children's judge did not always follow this opinion. In particular, he considered that educational support within the framework of Justice could help them understand the seriousness of their actions and prevent them from repeating them. Two teenagers aged 14 and 15, with criminal records, were placed temporarily under judicial supervision with measures similar to those mentioned above, but with stricter follow-up summonses.

Enough to leave victims doubtful. “It is interesting to question the moral responsibility of the person. But in the context of Justice, we don't care. What is important is to prevent him from doing harm in the first place.”says Rémi. “Then we can psychoanalyze it and seek to understand painful things, but the first role of justice is to protect the innocent”he believes. “We have to physically prevent them from going out. Not to punish them but to protect others”sums up the one who is more angry with the authorities (city and state), whom he accuses of not protecting its population and allowing such violence to occur.

The provisional measures taken are extremely light and uncorrelated with the seriousness of the facts

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Sophie Sarzaud, lawyer for several victims in the case

“The situation of these young people is not fair either, they have experienced very difficult situations and violence which they certainly reproduce”analyzes a mother, whose 16-year-old son was violently extorted. But in this case, “let justice give them a framework”she suggests. “I don’t raise children to be innocent victims. It's not fair”she adds, having the unpleasant impression that“we put ourselves in the den of the wolf” and doubting how the measures are being respected.

«J’I have the feeling that Justice minimizes or lightens the measures as much as possible because the perpetrators are minors. But some victims are too… It's total incomprehensionconfides another mother. We wouldn't want them to do it again. It has to be useful, so that others don’t experience the same thing.” His son, a student who recently arrived in Nantes, was disfigured in the street at the end of October. He had his AirPods, tennis, phone and bank card stolen. “We are surprised by these judicial placements which seem light in view of the facts. The police are involved while the provisional measures taken are extremely light and uncorrelated with the seriousness of the facts”deplores Maître Sophie Sarzaud of the Hauts-de-Seine Bar, lawyer for several victims in the case.

No awareness of the seriousness of their actions

On the police side, after a month of full-time investment on the subject, the time has come for disappointment. “The message we send to these minors is that we can be violent for free, steal and rob people, spend two days in police custody and return with a court summons”notes with bitterness a person close to the investigation. Sometimes, the older people in the neighborhood order things from the younger ones to bring back, telling them that being minors, they don't risk much.

“What scares me is that it doesn't slow down and stop the delinquency process. Concretely, nothing changes in their daily lives”. This week, a gang of individuals aged 12 to 14 committing similar acts elsewhere in Nantes were arrested, a worrying sign that the methods are spreading and that the perpetrators are unaware of the seriousness of their actions. “We have to define the limits with these minors. It seems to me that in this context, we are not giving them the means to redefine limits for themselves. We must act strongly so that they relearn the rules that they did not have at home. Unfortunately, we don't do it.”concludes this police source, observing a lack of resources for children on a national scale.