Catholic Youths Targeted in Assault Near Rouen Fair
On the 31 October, a group of Catholic men were physically assaulted in Rouen while walking towards the Saint-Romain fair and singing Catholic hymns. According to the report, they were confronted by a group of men in black, shouting slurs such as "fascist" and "dirty whites" at them before beating them. Several of the victims sustained injuries, including one with a fractured eye socket. The mayor of Rouen condemned the violence, and the prosecution has opened an investigation into "violence on the grounds of race, ethnicity, nation, or religion."
On the evening of 31 October, 13 young Catholic Frenchmen aged 20–27 were attacked near the Docks 76 shopping centre in Rouen while walking towards the Saint-Romain fair. The friends had been singing Catholic hymns when a larger group, mostly dressed in black, confronted them.
According to the victims’ accounts, the attackers shouted “fascists” and “dirty whites”, followed by threats: “We’re going to f*** your mothers” and “We’re going to kill you.” One complainant also reported that an attacker identified himself as a 16-year-old Muslim.
The attackers reportedly threw stones at the group before punching and kicking them. One victim described seeing a friend lying unconscious on the ground while the attackers continued kicking him. Another said that, when he tried to help his younger brother, who was surrounded by around ten people beating him, he was hit in the side of the head, knocked down and beaten further. A young man who tried to stop the assault by explaining that they were Catholics rather than "fascists" was himself surrounded and repeatedly punched and kicked.
Several victims sustained bruising and facial injuries. Medical records reviewed by Valeurs actuelles documented a fracture to one man’s left eye socket. Another victim reported fainting after returning home and being taken to hospital by emergency services. Four men subsequently filed complaints, and two provided medical documentation from Rouen University Hospital. An investigation is underway to identify the attackers and establish their possible motives.
The violence was condemned by the mayor of Rouen, who referred the incident to the prosecutor in accordance with Article 40 of the French Code of Criminal Procedure, suggesting that the attack may be linked to the victims’ religious affiliation. He further stated: “No difference of belief or conviction could justify them.”
Sources: infovaticana, newsfire, x
Image: Valeurs Actuelles