The prosecution requested on Friday June 4 sentences of eleven and seven years in prison against the two former skinheads on appeal before the Assize Court of Essonne for the "
absurd
" and "
avoidable
"
death
of anti-fascist activist Clément Méric in 2013 in Paris.
To read also: Death of Clément Méric: the use of the brass knuckles not certified
"
If the meeting is fortuitous, the file shows that the death of Clément Méric was not the result of chance, there was a rise in power and a form of hatred
", launched the Advocate General, Philippe Courroye. During his two-hour indictment, he asked the court to restrain “
the use of a weapon
” by the two defendants, a brass knuckle that they both denied use during the proceedings.
The magistrate requested the heaviest sentence against Esteban Morillo, 28, already sentenced to eleven years at first instance and who admitted to being the author of the fatal blows. He faces up to 20 years in prison for fatal blows carried out in a meeting and with a weapon. Seven years have been requested for his co-accused Samuel Dufour, sentenced to this sentence in 2018 for his participation in the fight.
On June 5, 2013, Clément Méric, an 18-year-old student and anti-fascist activist, collapsed on the asphalt in the middle of Paris, during a violent and brief brawl between extreme left activists and extreme right skinheads, on the sidelines of a private sale of clothing from the Fred Perry brand. "
They are not judged because they are or have been skinheads, but whether we like it or not, in the chain of events, in the background there is a worrying fuel, that of sectarianism, of the ostracism, the exclusion of those who do not think like us
", continued the Advocate General, referring to the"
common drift
"of the accused towards a"
toxic ideology
".
Read also: Death of Clément Méric: an accused assumes his past as a skinhead, but not the violence
"
I dare to hope that you have distanced yourself from this deadly ideology
", breathed the magistrate, adding that the death of Clément was "
inevitable
" and "
absurd
".
The verdict is expected Friday, June 4 in the evening, after the defense pleadings.
