In Crépol (Drôme), the murder of 16-year-old Thomas last November caused a political and media tidal wave and deep trauma. The drama seems to have acted as a catalyst for the RN vote, which doubled during the European elections. And the surge could well continue during the legislative elections.
The court seals, bouquets of flowers and messages of tribute have disappeared from the wooden front door. Seven months ago, it was in front of this single-storey building with its tired plaster, located in the middle of the village and the pebble houses typical of the area, that Thomas Perotto collapsed. The 16-year-old high school student never recovered from the stab wound he received in the chest. Several other participants in the ball organized on the night of November 18 to 19 were injured, during a scene that everyone thought was unimaginable in this pretty stretch of Drôme countryside.
Today, the modest village hall has regained its “before” appearance. A deceptive return to some semblance of normality. “The reality is that the atmosphere is rotten, definitely rotten,” laments Emmanuelle, a farmer who came to stock up on cigarettes at the tobacco bar. “Thomas, he was born and raised nearby, he’s everyone’s kid. We will never be able to forget what happened to him. »
The earthquake here shook the entire country. For weeks, Crépol appeared almost continuously on the banners of news channels. Swarms of journalists invaded the scene, while politicians of all sides argued over the “meaning” to be given to the blood shed that evening. At the center of the debate: the profile of the alleged attackers, most of whom come from the sensitive district of La Monnaie, in Romans-sur-Isère, around twenty kilometers further.
From stage to stage, Jordan Bardella, the president of the National Rally, charges “these young people from the city who came to plant white people”, “French people with immigrant backgrounds” representatives of a “lost generation”, whose transition to act would be “the expression of the daily terror experienced by millions of our compatriots”. Even Olivier Véran, then government spokesperson, pointed out “the risk of a shift in our society”. France is afraid. Or is she playing at scaring herself?
“We get eaten everywhere”
Fourteen suspects, including several minors, were indicted for “homicide and attempted homicide by an organized gang”. In mid-March, at the end of the latest raid to date, the Valencia prosecutor indicated that “the certain determination of the identity of the author of the fatal stabbing” was “not certain”.
Justice has ruled out any racist motive at this stage. Which does not prevent certain politicians from still agitating the so-called symbol of Crépol – at the beginning of June, Éric Zemmour invited himself to the village festival to “honor the memory of Thomas” and pose all smiles in the middle of the “ young people” from the local area – nor the inhabitants of hammering home their two major concerns now: “insecurity” and “immigration”.
Jean-Paul, 72, is one of them. With his massive silhouette, his floral shirt, his green-rimmed glasses and his claimed “big mouth”, the man that the Creoles nickname Carlos does not go unnoticed in the center of the town. And his opinion is clear: “We saw it clearly in November, we are no longer peaceful anywhere and we are being eaten everywhere. I’m tired of it. That has to change. »
He does not hide the fact that he has “always voted FN, then RN”, and that he therefore welcomed Jordan Bardella’s 46% in the European elections in Crépol – a score doubled in just five years, as in the surrounding municipalities – with “ lots and lots of fun.” “People are starting to understand that we have to turn the page, is that good?! »
His wife, at first lurking in the shadow of the giant, agrees: “We are not very reassured. Since Thomas’ death, it’s even worse. We would never have believed that this kind of thing would happen until now. » The retiree assures that she is “afraid of being attacked” when she goes out. By who?? A silence, then a response: “There aren’t any immigrants here, but we don’t know, anything can happen. »
Both will therefore “obviously” slip an RN ballot into the ballot box again this Sunday, convinced that “only Bardella can respond to (their) concerns”. “He promises a lot anyway, will he have to follow through?! », warns Jean-Paul, index finger outstretched.
“People make shortcuts, I understand them”
In the middle of tinkering on his gate, a few streets further, Pierre, “Crépolois since 1982”, is on the same line. “It is certain that here, the murder of Thomas has “boosted” some who were still hesitant to switch to the RN. It had to come one day anyway. » The laughing sixty-year-old confides having turned his back on the “classic right” during the 2022 presidential election. His credo?? “Be tougher with young people and tighten the screws on immigration. There’s too much. »
Even in the ranks of the (rare) abstainers – participation in Crépol exceeded the 60% mark on June 9 – the far-right party benefits from a certain amount of goodwill. “With the Thomas story, people cut corners. Even if in my opinion, Bardella is not the solution, I understand them,” says Thierry, raspy voice and mustache yellowed by tobacco, who loudly displays his “disgust with politicians”. “Either lazy people or incompetents?!” “, he says.
To extend the success of the European elections in the fourth constituency of Drôme and make this growing anger resonate at the Palais-Bourbon, the National Rally is banking on Thibaut Monnier. This 37-year-old “real estate business manager” has already competed in elections under the colors of the FN (regional in Allier in 2015 and legislative in 2017 in Isère), the RN (municipal and metropolitan in Lyon in 2020), then Reconquest?! (legislative elections of 2022, again in Isère).
“The disorder of the cities reaches our villages”
Close to Marion Maréchal – he founded Issep with her, a private school located in Lyon, and was her chief of staff during the recent European campaign – Thibaut Monnier broke with the Zemmourist party at the same time as the niece by Marine Le Pen, mid-June, to return home
. And to glean at the last minute the investiture in this territory where he settled “a year ago” with his wife and children.
“I left Lyon because I no longer felt safe, we arrive here and we find ourselves with Crépol?! This drama owes nothing to chance: it is the sad illustration that the disorder linked to migratory overwhelm in the cities is now reaching our villages,” proclaims the neo-candidate. In this “rurality abandoned by the State”, Thibaut Monnier says he wants to work “with Jordan Bardella” to bring back “order” and “serenity”.
His opponents accuse him of “instrumentalizing” the death of the high school student? “Not at all,” he brushes off. We are criticized for playing on fears, when all we are doing is reflecting the reality on the ground. The insecurity, the hatred of the French, I feel them every day. The evils are there, we must have the courage to name them and treat them. »Faced with this newcomer who gives herself “a real chance of victory” on July 7, Emmanuelle Anthoine, the outgoing MP, plays the card of local roots – born “at the Saint-Vallier maternity ward”, father “veterinarian rural” in Hauterives, departmental councilor since 2015 of this canton where she still lives – and “constancy”.
The candidate Les Républicains, who does not forgive the “betrayal” of Éric Ciotti to his camp after the European elections, took the constituency to the left in 2017, before being largely re-elected in 2022. “I have never surfed on any “wave”, I am used to contrary contexts,” she smiles at the mention of the new dynamics of the extreme right on her land.
The mayor of Crépol in the LR camp
“Yes, it’s true”, the extent of the RN’s push on June 9 “surprised” her. But she “hears these votes”, a translation according to her of “a growing feeling of abandonment, fear and injustice in our villages”, to which is added “a complete fed up” with -vis the current majority.
The former lawyer defends “controlled immigration” and “indispensable firmness on sovereign issues, particularly in criminal matters”. “Security is the first right of our fellow citizens. They need to be better protected, that’s undeniable. But that’s not all. We also need a real regional planning policy, for example on health. »
Emmanuelle Anthoine has chosen a new substitute for this lightning campaign: Martine Lagut, the mayor of Crépol. Anything but a coincidence, obviously. “We have been friends for a long time and the tragedy that occurred in November further strengthened our bonds. His presence at my side allows us to highlight a community that must be supported and rebuilt. »
To those – many – tickled by a furious desire to “try” the National Rally in the legislative elections, out of conviction or out of spite, the outgoing responds with a pirouette. “I have never tried to jump out of a plane without a parachute. So is it a good idea to try? I do not believe. »
Texts: Stéphane Barnoin; photos: Franck Boileau
LandmarksMunicipality
. Located between the Valence plain and the first slopes of the Vercors, the village of Crépol had 564 inhabitants according to the latest figures from INSEE, published at the end of 2019. The town is located 18 km from Romans-sur-Isère and 37 km from Valencia.Drama
. During the “winter ball” which brought together 400 people on the night of November 18 to 19, 2023, a brawl broke out. Several participants are injured. One of them, Thomas Perotto, was stabbed in the chest. The 16-year-old high school student died while being transported to hospital.Investigation
. To date, the investigation opened for “homicide and attempted homicide by an organized gang” has resulted in the indictment of fourteen suspects. None of them has yet admitted to being the perpetrator of the fatal stabbing.
Death of Thomas in Crépol: five new indictments, the author of the stabbing remains unidentified (March 2024)Elections
. During the European elections on June 9, Jordan Bardella won 46% of the votes in Crépol (118 votes), far ahead of Valérie Hayer (Renew), with 12% (32 votes). During the same election, five years earlier, the president of the RN had collected 23% of the votes in the town, neck and neck with Nathalie Loiseau (Renew) and her 22%.
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