The death of Nahel, killed by a police officer on June 27, ignited the situation.
That day, almost everywhere in France, urban violence broke out.
And Corbeil-Essonnes is no exception.
On the night of June 30, 2023, in front of the police station, barricades were set up and around thirty young people tried to enter the police station.
Failing to do so, some people stoned the glass facade.
A little after one in the morning, six young people were arrested.
Among them, Fouzi, 22, accused of having been present wearing gloves and a cloth concealing his face, and of having thrown stones at the police station.
This Friday, March 8, he was sentenced by the Évry-Courcouronnes court to 4 months in prison, the obligation to complete a citizenship course in the next six months and 600 euros for moral damage.
Read also Riots after the death of Nahel: a report details the profile and motivations of the condemned
“I was at a football match when some friends called me and asked me to join them,” says Fouzi.
When he is arrested by the police, the young man assumes responsibility.
“I followed the movement,” he told the police.
His record is clean and he is released.
He is summoned back to the police station at a later date.
In court, he explained that he “was afraid of reprisals” if he did not participate in the riots.
He does not have the profile of a delinquent
When he was arrested, the young man was in football gear, wearing gloves and a t-shirt as a mask.
He explains: “I wore the gloves to play football and someone gave me a t-shirt to hide my face.”
“Do you think it’s courageous to hide and participate in riots?
», Asks the court.
Fouzi agrees, “no, it’s not”.
At the time, the young man was a temporary animator for the town of Saintry-sur-Seine.
“Upon learning that he had been arrested during the riots, the municipality terminated his contract,” says Fouzi’s lawyer.
In her pleading, she insists on the fact that the young man does not have the profile of a delinquent.
“His uncle and aunt are police officers, in his family this type of facts does not exist.
» According to her, the young man has always stayed away from violence, “besides his friends find him cowardly and regularly make fun of him”.
Furthermore, according to the lawyer, the case is particularly light.
“Certainly, the court was overwhelmed, but the information that he was present at the football match before the incident was never verified,” she laments.
In his indictment, the prosecutor admitted the weakness of the case.
But according to him, Fouzi's participation in the urban violence that evening is perfectly characterized.
He still orders the court to pronounce a symbolic sentence before requesting a 6-month suspended prison sentence and a fine of 600 euros.