The Bad Gones and Kop Virage Nord published a press release two days after the clashes with members of the Six Neuf Pirates during OL’s victory against Nantes in Ligue 1.
The day after the Six Nine Pirates spoke, the Bad Gones and Kop Virage Nord spoke out in turn to denounce a “media and political cabal and harassment on social networks”. In a press release published Tuesday, October 8, the two main groups of supporters of Olympique Lyonnais react to accusations of violence and racism following the clashes at Groupama Stadium after the 2-0 victory against FC Nantes.
“We would like to not have to express ourselves even less after the victory of our beloved team. But enough is enough! (…) What happened on the sidelines of the Nantes meeting is more than regrettable. Nevertheless, , the facts mentioned are overused and some even lie”, criticize the Bad Gones and the Kop Virage Nord.
“This group of individuals plays the victimization card”
The press release directly attacks the Six Nine Pirates, a recently created group of supporters: “This group of individuals plays the card of victimization, wishing to pass themselves off as what they are not. An apolitical group which would only be peace and love? But then how do they explain the weapons found by the police around them (…) How do they explain the fact that the only person arrested for carrying a weapon is part of their crowd? their calls to come and “drive the fascists out of the stadium” on several private messages (…) on various social networks?”
According to information from BFM Lyon, an individual was arrested at the stadium for carrying a prohibited weapon. No further details are known regarding this suspect.
“If our love of our city and our country bothers you: fuck you!”
With their text, Bad Gones and Kop Virage Nord also respond to accusations of racism and proximity to the extreme right. “Our only political commitment comes down to Olympique Lyonnais,” they say at first. “If our love of our city and our country bothers you: fuck you! We are proud of our colors and our flag. Furthermore, we will no longer let anyone ridicule us, invent stories or dirty us, invent a political will with the aim of wanting to put us out because we are disturbing with our values far from yours”, they add, specifying that they have only had to ban “one person” since the creation of the Kop.
The affair took a political turn with a press release from the Rhone deputies of the New Popular Front (NFP) condemning the violence against the members of the Six Nine Pirates. Which makes Bad Gones and Kop Virage Nord say: “We are also surprised by the speed of communication from certain LFI deputies (La France insoumise, editor’s note) and assimilated people shortly after these incidents. Astonished but not surprised, some being able to think that the press release was probably already ready before the match… The lack of perspective of these deputies of the Nation, quick to judge without reliable information or proof, makes us question their promiscuity with these individuals.
The Six Nine Pirates, in their press release released the day before, claimed to be “totally apolitical, cosmopolitan, open to all, non-violent”.
