accused of having simulated an attack, an elected official from Romainville resigns

An activist in the Union of Jewish Students of France, the former elected official took part in an action to disrupt a conference on Palestine at the beginning of October. After the outcry caused by a video shared on social networks, he decided to resign from his mandates.

He made the choice “not to react immediately”. But almost a month later, the mayor of Romainville (Seine-Saint-Denis) decided to speak out in a video, relayed massively on social networks, involving Kévin Cohen, municipal councilor and member of the municipal majority.

Faced with the outcry caused by the latter, particularly among residents of the town, the mayor announced the resignation of the municipal councilor in a press release published on October 31.

Accused of simulating an attack

It follows the action carried out on October 6 during a conference organized by the collective “Urgence Palestine” and the media Paroles d'honneur in a solidarity location in Pantin. A few minutes after the start of the debates, a group from the Union of Jewish Students of France (UEJF), of which the municipal councilor of Romainville is a member, intervened. Most members held up signs and shouted several slogans.

In the room, several people present at the conference try to get them out – sometimes virulently – but they struggle. To complicate the evacuation, some get on the ground, like Kévin Cohen.

This is when someone films the scene. On the ground, the now ex-municipal councilor is surrounded by several people. Then the activist begins to scream and struggle, even though no one touches him. He then continues to slide on the floor, until he is caught by his coat and his legs to be taken out of the room.

“They hit me, they hit me,” he wrote to himself, without any blow being made on the images. His statement is then covered by that of other people. “We’re not hitting you,” we hear on the video.

An action “not compatible” with one’s “duties”

In the wake of the action, on the social network X, the UEJF account denounced violence committed against its activists.

In reaction to the municipal councilor's video, many Internet users accused him of simulating an attack.

“As mayor, I made the considered choice not to react immediately to the urgency of social networks (…) I preferred to take the time to analyze the facts, to listen to different points of view and to consult before making any decision”, explains François Dechy, various left-wing mayor of the town, in his press release.

The elected official indicates that he met twice with the former member of his majority to “hear his version of the facts” but also to share with him his reading “of the situation.” A decision is therefore taken, by mutual agreement, for the resignation of the latter.

“Together, we agreed that the action he took was not compatible with his duties and responsibilities as a municipal elected official,” said the mayor.

An outcome that the mayor welcomes. “I would like to salute the courage of his decision, taken in a spirit of respect and consideration for the Romainvilloises affected by this sequence.”

He expressed “regrets” and “apologies”

During their exchanges, Kévin Cohen expressed “his regrets” and “apologized”. According to François Dechy, the former municipal councilor was “tired by the violence he suffered” on social networks. But he said he was “aware of the emotion that his actions may have caused”.

In his press release, the mayor concluded this resignation with a word for his constituents and his municipality. A “unique” city which brings together “citizens of all faiths and convictions who live together in harmony.”

Before discussing the situation in the Middle East. “Many Romaville families have lost loved ones in Israel, Palestine, Lebanon and are scarred to the depths of their being by the situation in the Middle East,” says the councilor.

And added: “In such a context, our words and actions can have a profound impact, which should never be underestimated.”

For its part, the UEJF, through its president contacted by our colleagues from Le Parisien, indicated that Kévin Cohen had had a “panic attack”. “It was very violent for him and it was on social networks,” regrets Yossef Murciano. He also indicates that a young girl was the target of a “blow to the face” during their action on October 6 and regrets not having been able to provide “contradiction”.