Death of Thomas in Crépol: an ultra-right collective renames streets and tows for its rally

Saturday November 23, 10 a.m., city center of Romans-sur-Isère, ten young people arrive from Lyon, Toulon or even Aix-en-Provence. They will rename streets and tow to the gathering that their collective “Justice for ours” organizes in the city a week lateralmost a year later the murder of Thomas in Crépol. This ultra-right group (which considers himself partisan) believes that Thomas, or even Nicolas, dead Romanian After a shooting in Saint-Péray on Halloween nightare “victims of immigration”.

The activists of this collective have been towing for a month and a half. Among them, Paul, 25, an electronics technician in Aix-en-Provence, is coming to Nord-Drôme for the third time. He says he came to the white march in tribute to Thomas a year ago and having been affected: “Death was a bit of a trigger. Plus, for once, it's not in a big city, rural areas are also affected. Small villages where residents felt safe, today we want to show them that we are safe nowhere because no one will be spared from mass immigration.”

“There is a lot of anger”

For the spokesperson for “Justice for ours”, Raphaël Ferron, better known by his pseudonym Raphaël Ayma, their gathering is also a “tribute” : “Obviously, there is empathy behind it. My comrades are also young, they could have been in Thomas' place at a ball in their village. We have the right to demonstrate, to share our pain, our anger. There is a lot of anger. The fractures are still quite palpable.” He also believes “that on the side of the Cité de la Monnaie, people are rejoicing at the death of Thomas.” “A gang of scum came down (sic), with knives, etc. “he adds.

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Raphaël Ayma considers that “this news item is a political fact”. He explains: “This is not anecdotal: Thomas' death is the consequence of migration policies, of a certain management of public authorities with regard to insecurity and wildness. The French must go out into the streets now , call on public authorities to tell them that people are fed up with insecurity. When you have parents who are paranoid about letting their son out, that's it. that he something is happening in society.”

Streets renamed in the name of Thomas and Nicolas

Symbolically, young people cover street signs and squares in Romans-sur-Isère with a sheet with the name of Thomas or Nicolas. “AlrightReda initially reacts. We are against crime. We are humans. Muslims, Christians, Jews, we are all the same.” This resident runs the café in the city center of Romans, on which the collective renamed the street. When the discussion with spokesperson Raphaël Ayma moves from the tribute to Thomas to the political demands of the rally, Reda appears to be less in agreement: “Everyone has their own ideas and everyone thinks as they want. But The most important thing is respect.”

The majority of residents met by the young people from “Justice for ours” this Saturday morning approve of the message they want to convey. While they are putting up a new sheet on a street sign, Nicole, 88, comes to meet them: “It's a good thing what they're doing. These are young people who are being killed for nothing at all.” She hopes to have “safety everywhere, that young people can go for walks, that women are not always on edge to go out in the evening.”** After their symbolic action in Romans-sur-Isère, the collective filed more than 1,000 leaflets in mailboxes, in a residential area of ​​Tain-l'Hermitage in particular.

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Opposite, a demonstration to “tell another novel story”

The Drôme prefecture has not taken any decision for the moment concerning this demonstration organized by the collective “Justice for ours”. Opposite, around ten associations, unions and left-wing political movements are organizing another march in Romans-sur-Isère on Saturday to “tell another novel story, open to the world”indicates Julie Maurel, activist for the “Collectif pour Novels”. She believes that the ultra-right group “makes discriminatory and stigmatizing remarks” and he invests “a territory which is not its own”. These organizations asked the prefect to ban the “Justice for Ours” gathering.

The Communist Party and the socialist group at the town hall of Romans-sur-Isère also asked the prefecture to ban the demonstration. Likewise, the section of the Socialist Party of Romans/Bourg-de-Péage spoke to Marie-Hélène Thoraval, mayor of Romans-sur-Isère, and Nicolas Daragon, mayor of Valence and minister responsible for everyday security.

As for the investigation into Thomas' murder, fourteen people are currently being prosecuted for intentional homicide and attempted intentional homicide by an organized gang. Justice has, for the moment, not identified the person who carried out the fatal stabbing. to the young rugby player.