Two supporters of the Rennes football club, in Ligue 1, were sentenced, during the night from Wednesday to Thursday in Auxerre (Yonne), to sentences of eight months to one year in prison for having hit a police officer on Sunday, during clashes before the Auxerre-Rennes match.
The fans, both aged 25, were found guilty by the Auxerre court of aggravated violence against a police officer.
The first, accused of having knocked down a police officer before beating him, was sentenced to two years in prison, one year of which was suspended, the firm part being convertible into home detention under electronic surveillance (DDSE). The second, prosecuted for having thrown a can of beer at the police officer, was sentenced to eight months' imprisonment, also under DDSE.
According to the police, the agent concerned had been “beaten up” after falling, before the match, while around thirty police officers were escorting the Rennes ultras. The police had been “attacked from the start of the escort”, according to the police, using tear gas and defensive bullets.
The police officer suffered a broken nose and a displaced jaw, according to the same source. The Alliance police union shared a photo of the injured official on Sunday, denouncing “unacceptable violence committed by pseudo Rennes supporters”, calling them “savages who attacked our colleague”.
The Minister of the Interior Bruno Retailleau, for his part, denounced “unacceptable behavior” on his X account, calling for “the most exemplary of sanctions”. He also sent his “support” to the police officers “mobilized every weekend to secure matches which should be nothing other than sport and which see savages unleashed without qualms”.
Three people were arrested, but only the two who appeared this Wednesday were ultimately prosecuted.
