Scene of tensions in front of Saint-Étienne Cathedral in Metz, in Moselle.
Saturday morning, an altercation, confirmed to Le Parisien by the Metz prosecutor's office, broke out between anti-abortion activists and antifa in front of the religious monument, reports Le Républicain Lorrain.
Anti-abortion activists, among whom the regional daily recognized Cassandre Fristot, as well as other fundamentalist Catholics, had gathered to demonstrate against abortion and the constitutionalization of the freedom to resort to this medical procedure.
Prayers in Latin would have been said.
Three arrests
While members of the parish intervened to calm the situation, tension escalated with the arrival of anti-fascist activists.
A fight broke out between the two groups in front of the cathedral, located on Place d'Armes.
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Three people, including two with no criminal record, were arrested and placed in police custody for acts of violence in meetings, specifies the Metz public prosecutor's office, which confirms the opening of an investigation.
Video exploitation is underway to determine the precise circumstances of the altercation.
At this point, two complaints have been filed.
An attempted exorcism in September
Cassandre Fristot, a teacher and former member of the National Rally in her thirties, is known to the courts for having been convicted in 2021 for “provoking racial hatred” for having brandished a sign with an anti-Semitic inscription during a demonstration against the health pass.
In September 2022, members of the far-right Catholic movement Civitas had already entered the cathedral to try to “exorcise” the place of worship, before being evacuated.
They were protesting against the presentation of the players of the Metz-Handball team within the religious building, organized a few days earlier.