The Lyon prosecutor's office announced on Tuesday the opening of an investigation for "provocation to hatred" after a demonstration "of the ultra-right", Friday, in tribute to the young Lola, killed in Paris.
"The Lyon public prosecutor's office has opened an investigation on the grounds of public provocation to hatred or violence against a person or a group of people on the basis of their origin or their belonging to an ethnic group, nation, race or religion,” prosecutors said in an email.
The opening of this investigation is carried out "in the extension" of the report made Monday by the prefect of the Rhône to the public prosecutor of Lyon "concerning the demonstration of the ultra-right on Friday" last, specifies the prosecution.
The investigation was entrusted to the Departmental Directorate of Public Security of the Rhône, according to the same source.
The demonstration, held Friday evening in the center of Lyon, had gathered 100 to 150 people, according to the prefecture.
The mayor of Lyon, Grégory Doucet, had indicated that this rally had been claimed by an activist identifying himself on social networks as a member of "Remparts Lyon", a structure inheriting from the dissolved far-right association "Génération identitaire" .
The mayor asks for the dissolution of the group
Videos on social networks, in particular on the Twitter account of "Remparts", had shown hooded people shouting "immigrant murderers", with a banner "Justice for Lola, immigration kills".
📢 Throwback to the mobilization of young people in Lyon on Friday evening
For all the victims of immigration: Neither forgetfulness nor forgiveness! #lyon #france #youth #manifestation #lola pic.twitter.com/dtFNU93zTJ
– The Remparts Lyon (@Remparts2Lyon) October 23, 2022
The mayor had therefore written to President Macron on Monday to request the "immediate dissolution" of the "Remparts".
"Our collective is in no way responsible for the slogans sung", reacted the group on Twitter adding to refute "all the false accusations of violence".
The circumstances of the death of Lola, killed in Paris on October 14, and the profile of the suspect, of Algerian nationality and under an obligation to leave French territory (OQTF), have aroused strong criticism on the right and on the far right.
Following several demonstrations, the girl's family demanded on Friday that "urgently cease, and be withdrawn, any use of the name and image of their child for political purposes".
