A 22-year-old Romanian died this Saturday, November 2, from his injuries. He was shot during a shooting in front of the Le Seven nightclub in Saint-Péray (Ardèche), near Valence, on Halloween night. Nicolas was part of the same Rugby club as Thomas Perotto, killed during the Crépol ball on November 18, 2023. The mayor of Romans-sur-Isère, Marie-Hélène Thoraval was the guest of France Bleu Drôme Ardèche to discuss this new drama which hits his commune.
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You met Nicolas's family yesterday, also members of his rugby club, the RCRP. What did they tell you about him? Who was Nicholas?
I actually met the two co-presidents of the club and the club players, and we expressed the wish to set up a psychological unit. And yesterday, I went to meet Nicolas's family, a family devastated by the pain, also by the incomprehension of losing a son in these conditions and in such a gratuitous and violent act.
Did they also talk to you about him, a young rugby player, about his personality?
Of course, a mother tells you about her son. When he arrived, how he grew up and she tells you about who he was and also about the bonds that were theirs, the affection she had and the love that a whole family has for their child. It is an immeasurable pain.
Will a tribute be paid to Nicolas?
That was kind of the topic of our conversation. I am committed to doing everything possible to satisfy their wishes. So there will be a tribute, we would like a march to be organized. So, from this morning, we are going to implement all the necessary means to ensure that this happens in the best possible security conditions.
The residents of your town are also in shock. The rugby club is once again in mourning almost a year to the day after the murder of Thomas in Crépol. Is this second tragedy also difficult for you as mayor and for your constituents?
It's not about whether it's difficult for me. What matters to me is the safety of my fellow citizens. And this is something that is particularly complicated and difficult. But it is a reality for all mayors in France. When we see the increase in violence that has been taking place in our country for years, I think that today we need shocking actions. There really needs to be awareness. I said it last year, these are not news items, they are social facts. We see that there is an evolution of violence which is completely uncontrolled, that the response which is faced does not correspond to the measure and the level of the violence which is suffered on a daily basis.
You are talking about an answer, precisely, Bruno Retailleau, the Minister of the Interior, spoke about the death of Nicolas. He speaks “ultra-violent which sows death and chaos”. He promises measures that are expected by November 8. As an elected official, what measures do you expect?
So already, the answers must come from the government. We can contribute, based on our experience and our daily lives, to the application or implementation of these measures. Obviously, there must also be an execution of sentences. Violence occurs in a general way. In the case of Nicolas's murder, how can we explain that young people are, at the entrance to a nightclub, with firearms? And we already had the stabbing murder of Thomas last year. It seems like there are weapons on every street corner.
An ultra-right group, “Justice for Ours”, is calling for demonstrations in your town on November 30. Don't you fear excesses?
Every time there is a demonstration, of course we are worried. Afterwards, we are not alone since as part of this demonstration which has been announced, resources will be deployed in the municipality and which will, I think, live up to the announcements or the intentions which have been expressed. We already experienced such a demonstration last year.
