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Anthony Soudani
Published on
Jan 21, 2025 at 5:05 p.m.
; updated Jan 21, 2025 at 5:06 p.m.
An OL supporter is on trial this Tuesday, January 21, 2025 in Lyon, suspected of having performed a Nazi salute during the Ligue 1 match between Olympique Lyonnais and Racing Club de Strasbourg on August 30, 2024.
Presented under judicial supervision before the Lyon Criminal Court, the defendant recognizes the gesture, but refuses to define it as a Nazi salute. In this file, OL and Licra have become civil parties.
The fan does not recognize the Nazi salute
In the facts: surveillance cameras at Groupama Stadium filmed the defendant making a gesture resembling a Nazi salute. “I had my right arm in the air. At no time did I make a gesture with racist connotations, especially this connotation,” he claimed in court this Tuesday.
“I didn't raise my other arm, I had a cigarette in my other hand. At no time did I make a gesture with racist connotations,” he says. He even goes so far as to mime the gesture in the audience with his arm in the air to justify himself.
“Ohhh north stand, ohhh north stand,” he says to explain that this is a usual gesture in the stands. “Under no circumstances is this a Nazi salute, under any circumstances,” he repeats. “I had a beer, I was singing, I was waving a flag. »
Already convicted twice for violence and insults
This OL supporter already has two convictions to his credit, one dating from December 19, 2022 handed down by the Lyon children's court for involuntary injuries, and another from April 9, 2024 from the children's court for violence and insults. not public because of origin, race or religion.
He had insulted a “North African gentleman” during a nightclub outing that had gone wrong.
-For OL, “these facts are serious”
For his part, the lawyer for Olympique Lyonnais assures that the club devotes “significant material resources” to the excess, violence, racism. “There are 60,000 people in the stadium, it’s difficult to identify people live. In this case, there was feedback from supporters about the behavior of this supporter, his Nazi salute. They reported the facts to OL.”
He assures that “supporters who did not wish to file a civil suit, because there is pressure in the groups”. And adds: “For OL, these facts are serious, the club no longer supports to see his image mixed with this type of behavior.”
The lawyer assures that the images made it possible to identify a Nazi salute and that the supporters around were not making this type of gesture.
The prosecutor asks for 6 months suspended prison sentence
In this case, the public prosecutor requests a sentence of 6 months in prison suspendedto participate at his own expense in a special course on the ravages of Nazism and a ban on entering any sports venue for two years.
“There is no worse incitement to hatred than a Nazi salute in a stadium, in the city of Lyon, seat of the French court which convicted Klaus Barbie. Only you do not see this Nazi salute, it aggravates the responsibility which is yours. Your denials will do nothing. The Lyon public prosecutor's office has decided to apply zero tolerance,” says the prosecutor.
For his part, the defendant's lawyer assures that his client did not make any gesture inciting hatred aimed at opposing players or supporters. He highlights the absence of “disturbing public order”. The decision is reserved until February 18.
With Nicolas Zaugra
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