A villainous motive, without thinking of the
“symbol”
: on Wednesday, three men, including two former friends now angry to death, recognized the theft in 2019 of a Bataclan door decorated with a Banksy painting in tribute to the victims of November 13.
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Read alsoTheft of Banksy in tribute to the victims of the Bataclan: eight men tried in Paris
On the first day of the trial in Paris of an Italian and seven French people for the theft and concealment of this work, the court questioned the three thirty-somethings who admitted having stolen the door on January 26, 2019, shortly after 4:00 a.m.
Danis Gerizier and Kévin Gadouche
“opened”
the door with a crowbar then
“carried”
it, Franck Aubert
“used a grinder”
connected to a generator in the van to “
cut the hinges
”.
The first, Danis Gerizier delivered his version.
He was offered to participate in the operation
"a month before the facts"
and, after hesitating, he
"said yes"
.
"They came to pick me up on the evening of January 25, everything was ready,"
he says.
On the other hand, the other two, standing side by side at the helm, disagree on almost nothing.
Friends "
for a very long time
", the two men with loaded criminal records have "
cut ties
" since the events.
Between them, the tension is strong.
According to Franck Aubert, it was his co-defendant who had the idea of the theft and it was he who
"prepared everything"
.
He admits having gone to see the stencil out of curiosity during a demonstration of
"
yellow vests
"
but refutes any
"tracking"
.
So all premeditation.
Even more, he claims that he did not want to participate and
“hoped it would be aborted”
.
Working from
"6:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m."
, with a
"family to take care of"
, he didn't want to
"do bullshit"
.
If he resigned himself, it was
"out of fear"
, after being
"shot"
at the
"Colt 45"
by his former friend, he assures.
“This gentleman, he is lying”
, gets angry Kévin Gadouche.
They had the idea
"together"
and it was his co-defendant who was responsible for buying and preparing the truck, he swears.
"You have experience: have you ever heard that, someone threatening someone else to steal something?"
, launches this bearded man with long hair held back in a bun.
In turn, he refutes another
“spotting”
, this time in November 2018, during a trip to Paris with his friend Mehdi Meftah who was going to get a Ferrari.
His phone was stuck near the Bataclan?
He just drove by, he says.
Mehdi Meftah is also one of the defendants: this man, who says he won millions in the lottery and launched a brand of luxury t-shirts, is suspected of having "
ordered
" the theft of the Banksy, which he disputes .
"Lack of respect"
Infidelity, threats, desire for revenge: the tensions between the defendants and their companions, all wiretapped, put the police on the trail of where the door was hidden.
Routed to Isère, then to the Var, it was then taken to Tortoreto and then to a farm in Sant'Omero in Italy, where it was found on June 10, 2020. No resale attempt had taken place and no one had received money.
“It's not just any door, just any work
, underlines the president of the court.
The Bataclan is a trauma for France, the symbol is very important.
How do you end up stealing that door?”
“For the money”
, answers in a stifled voice Kévin Gardouche.
"The Banksys are overpriced...",
he adds.
“You said to yourself: money.
And the symbol of the victims of terrorism?
, continues the magistrate.
"I didn't think of it,"
he admits.
His co-defendant says he too regrets.
"I didn't know what it actually represented (...) I didn't think it was going to have so much impact
. "
“I know it's a very big lack of respect, that's for sure
, confesses the third defendant.
But I didn't think right away.
»
SEE ALSO - The trial for the theft of Banksy's work from the Bataclan opened in Paris
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