Escaping for a weekend in the Tardinghen marsh (Pas de Calais) to hunt ducks did not seem like an extremely perilous expedition to Stephen, 27, Yoahn, 43, and Adrien, 24. And yet, on the night of September 14 to 15, the three hunters and Stephen's three-year-old son were victims of a violent attack, according to The Voice of the North.
It was already late at night when the three hunters saw shadows in the marshes. They identified migrants and a zodiac, ready to begin a risky crossing. They then alerted the police. A few hours later, a ” sixties ” migrants, frustrated at being prevented from crossing the Channel to reach the United Kingdom, found the three men. One of them confided in the Voice of the Northexplaining that being alone in the area, the attackers quickly understood that the report could only come from the hunters, lying in wait in their hut. The attackers first attacked the vehicles, parked nearby. They broke the windows and stole the personal belongings inside.
Hunters witness hatred in migrants' eyes
Stephen, Yoahn, Adrien and the three-year-old child – the hunters could not be contacted by BV – took refuge in their shelter: a hunting cabin. The attackers followed them there, armed with iron bars, knives and hatchets. They broke the windows of the hut to try to reach them, without success. The attackers then opened the cages of the decoy ducks (birds whose cries bring their fellows together, used for hunting) and tore off their heads. Fortunately, the door of their shelter resisted the violent assault until the arrival of the police who managed to escort the three men, uninjured but traumatized. The child present did not, it seems, realize the gravity of the situation. The hunters say they lived through hell and saw death approaching. Tension reigned for nearly two hours, before the police intervened. Stephen admits to having fired into the water to frighten the besiegers, but the shot did not have the desired effect.
On Sunday morning, the victims filed a complaint with the Marquise gendarmerie for violence with weapons and damage to their vehicles, reveals The Voice of the North. According to the major of the gendarmerie company, investigations are underway. It is believed to be a “ special fact “. The president of the National Federation of Hunters, Willy Schraen, does not share this opinion: he believes that the safety of hunters is in danger, and for good reason. According to him, about ten similar cases have been recorded since July. Contacted, he has not yet responded to our requests.
” We are human first and foremost »
“ We saw people's hatred towards uss”, one of the victims testified to the microphone of Europe 1. One of the hunters clarifies their intentions: ” We saw migrants and a zodiac. We called the police. We knew they were going to risk their lives. We are human first and foremost. “And for good reason, during the same night from Saturday to Sunday, eight migrants lost their lives at sea while trying to reach England.
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