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Killing of Clément Méric

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Rue de Caumartin, site of Méric's death (pictured in 2009)

On 5 June 2013, a fight between far-left[1][2] and far-right activists in Paris resulted in the death of 18-year-old left-winger Clément Méric (French pronunciation: [klemɑ̃ meʁik]). Two far-right skinheads, Esteban Morillo and Samuel Dufour, were indicted for his death. In September 2018, they were convicted of manslaughter and weapon supply respectively, and sentenced to 11 and 5 years in prison respectively. Morillo was freed on licence that November after an appeal, Dufour in January 2019,[3] and a second trial began in December 2019.[4] In June 2021, they were sentenced to 8 and 5 years respectively.[5]

The lengthy judicial process centred around contentious points: Méric's own responsibility in the violence,[6][1] and whether or not the accused had brass knuckles, an illegal weapon regardless of context.[7]

Clément Méric

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Clément Méric was from Brest, Brittany.[8] He was the youngest child in his family, and moved to Paris at age 17,[2] to become a student at Sciences Po.[9] Méric was known to the police as a member of a far-left group that actively sought out violent confrontation with the far-right.[10] Méric was in remission for leukaemia at the time of his death.[11]

Esteban Morillo and Samuel Dufour

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Morillo was born in December 1992 in Cádiz, Spain and grew up in Neuilly-Saint-Front in the department of Aisne. The village's mayor, André Rigaud, described his parents as normal people, but in 2010 opened a police investigation into Morillo and his neo-Nazi gang. In May 2011 he received a criminal record for knife and brass knuckle possession.[12] Eighteen months before the fight, he had moved to Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine in the Parisian region, to live with his girlfriend and work as a security guard. Both were members of Troisième Voie, a far-right organisation.[12]

Dufour was born in Dieppe and was an apprentice baker. He was also a member of Troisième Voie and had neo-Nazi tattoos.[13]

Death

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A sale of Ben Sherman and Fred Perry apparel – popular with both extreme groups – was taking place on the Rue de Caumartin in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. The far-left group verbally provoked the far-right group and waited outside the store for 40 minutes, before the fight that led to Méric's death.[7] Neither Méric nor Morillo were involved in the initial verbal confrontation, having both been called as reinforcements.[11] Two security guards said that they prevented Méric from entering the store to fight the skinheads, and told him to refrain from violence, especially against physically larger men; the security guards also told the skinheads to exit to the right to avoid meeting the left-wing group, which was ignored.[11] Only six seconds elapsed between the two groups meeting each other outside, and Méric falling to the floor.[11]

Later in June 2013, security footage from Paris's RATP Group public transit agency showed Méric hitting Morillo in the back. Morillo then turned around and punched him once in the face, leading to Méric’s death.[14][1][15][6] Although there is no video evidence, some bystanders stated Morillo was armed with brass knuckles,[6] which would have been illegal regardless of context.[1] The video was seen but not shown by RTL Group, who disputed a reconstruction by France 2 which showed Méric striking a passive Morillo; RTL's report said that Morillo was fighting two other men at the time that Méric approached him.[16]

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The Paris prosecutor wanted to charge Morillo with murder,[17] but the investigating judge rejected this and instead charged him with manslaughter.[18]

A contentious issue in the trial was whether Morillo was armed with brass knuckles, as the accused's own text messages and witness statements supported that he was, while the autopsy was inconclusive.[7] Brass knuckles are legally sold to adults in France, but their use in this case would prove that Morillo and supplier Dufour had prepared to commit violence.[19]

In September 2018, Morillo was found guilty of manslaughter and Dufour of supplying brass knuckles, while a third man was acquitted of violence to other people. Morillo was sentenced to 11 years in prison and Dufour to seven.[20] Morillo was imprisoned for only 55 days before he appealed and was released on licence.[21] Dufour was also released on appeal in January 2019, ahead of an appeals trial in Évry in December of that year.[3]

The appeals trial was postponed due to a public transport strike, and then the COVID-19 pandemic.[22] In June 2021, Morillo was sentenced to 8 years and Dufour to 5.[5]

Reactions

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Rally in memory of Méric in Paris on 6 June 2013. The signs say "dissolve far-right groups" and "Clément victim of fascist horror".

President François Hollande and prime minister Jean-Marc Ayrault condemned the death of Méric and pledged to stop the far right.[23] Marine Le Pen, leader of the Front National, condemned the death and distanced her party from it.[24]

Three far-right groups linked to those who killed Méric, including two headed by Serge Ayoub, were proscribed by the French government.[25] Government minister Najat Vallaud-Belkacem criticised national media for granting interviews with Ayoub after the death.[26]

Rallies in memory of Méric took place across France,[27] and on subsequent anniversaries of his death.[28][29]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Sigel, Adrienne (25 June 2013). "Clément Méric: une nouvelle version révélée par une vidéo RATP" [Clément Méric: a new version revealed by an RATP video] (in French). BFM TV. Retrieved 13 January 2021. Une vidéo de la bagarre survenue le 5 juin dernier, qui a coûté la vie au militant d'extrême-gauche Clément Méric... [A video of the brawl that occurred last 5 June which cost the life of far-left activist Clément Méric...]
  2. ^ a b Licourt, Julien; Piquet, Caroline (6 September 2018). "EN DIRECT - La mère de Clément Méric : «C'était un militant d'extrême gauche, mais aussi un fils»" [LIVE - Clément Méric's mother: "He was a far-left activist, but also a son"]. Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 22 June 2023. «Clément était le plus jeune de nos enfants, il avait vécu avec nous à Brest jusqu'à ses 17 ans, moment où il est parti à Paris faire ses études. Il a été présenté comme un militant d'extrême gauche. Ce qu'il était, vraiment. Mais il était aussi un fils, un frère, un oncle, un ami.» [Clément was the youngest of our children, he lived with us in Brest until he was 17, when he moved to Paris for his studies. He has been presented as a far-left activist. He was one, truly. But he was also a son, a brother, an uncle, a friend".]
  3. ^ a b Polloni, Camille (25 February 2019). "Affaire Méric : un procès en décembre, les deux accusés libérés" [Méric case: a trial in December, the two accused are freed]. Les Jours (in French). Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  4. ^ "Malgré la grève, le procès « Méric » a débuté" [Despite the strike, the "Méric" trial has begun]. Le Télégramme (in French). 10 December 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  5. ^ a b "French ex-skinheads sentenced to 8 and 5 years jail for killing leftist teenager". Radio France Internationale. 5 June 2021. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  6. ^ a b c "Leftist killed in skinhead brawl 'threw first punch'". France 24. 26 June 2013. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  7. ^ a b c "A fateful Paris shopping trip, and the death that rocked France". Thejournal.ie. 31 May 2015. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  8. ^ "Clément Méric. Indignation après l'agression mortelle du jeune Brestois" [Clément Méric. Uproar after fatal attack on young man from Brest]. Ouest-France (in French). 7 June 2013. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  9. ^ "Paris student dead after skinhead attack". BBC News. 6 June 2013. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  10. ^ "Qui était Clément Méric ?" [Who was Clément Méric?]. 20 minutes (in French). 6 June 2013. Retrieved 13 January 2021. Selon une source policière, il était connu des services spécialisés comme appartenant à un groupe de militants d'extrême gauche qui recherchaient la confrontation avec des militants d'extrême droite, notamment la vingtaine de skins constituant le noyau dur des JNR (Jeunesses nationalistes révolutionnaires, groupuscule radical), avec qui ils «jouaient à cache-cache et se cherchent depuis quelque temps». [According to a police source, he was known to special services as belonging to a group of far-left activists who looked for confrontations with far-right activists, notably the 20-or-so skinheads who made up the core of the JNR (Young Revolutionary Nationalists, a radical fringe group), with who they "played hide and seek for some time"]
  11. ^ a b c d Seelow, Soren (19 June 2014). "Clément Méric : la mort en six secondes" [Clément Méric: death in six seconds]. Le Monde (in French). Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  12. ^ a b Mathieu, Clément (10 June 2013). "Esteban, itinéraire d'un jeune extrémiste" [Esteban, diary of a young extremist]. Paris Match (in French). Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  13. ^ Polloni, Camille. "Samuel Dufour". Les Jours (in French). Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  14. ^ "Affaire Méric: une vidéo montre que Clément aurait provoqué le groupe de Skinhead" [Méric affair: a video shows that Clément may have provoked the group of skinheads] (in French). France 3. 25 June 2013. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  15. ^ "Selon une vidéo, Méric aurait provoqué son meurtrier" [According to a video, Méric would have provoked his killer]. Le Matin (Switzerland) (in French). 25 June 2013. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  16. ^ Zafimehy, Marie; Rouxel, Jeanne (11 June 2023). "Affaire Clément Méric : comment la vidéo-surveillance a joué un rôle clé dans l'enquête" [Clément Méric case: how CCTV played a key role in the investigation] (in French). RTL Group. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  17. ^ "Murder charge sought in Paris skinhead attack". France 24. 8 June 2013. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  18. ^ "Skinhead attack suspect to face manslaughter charges". France 24. 9 June 2013. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  19. ^ Zafimehy, Marie (4 June 2023). "Affaire Clément Méric : pourquoi y a-t-il eu des interrogations sur l'usage de poings américains ?" [Clément Méric case: why were their questions over the use of brass knuckles?] (in French). RTL Group. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  20. ^ "Procès Méric : deux condamnations et un acquittement" [Méric trial: two convictions and an acquittal]. Le Point (in French). 14 September 2018. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  21. ^ "Mort de Clément Méric: Esteban Morillo remis en liberté, dans l'attente de son procès en appel" [Death of Clément Méric: Esteban Morillo freed, awaiting his appeals trial]. Le Figaro (in French). 9 November 2018. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  22. ^ Morelli, Sébastien (10 May 2020). "Essonne : le tribunal rouvre au public… sous condition" [Essonne: the court re-opens to the public...on condition]. Le Parisien (in French). Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  23. ^ "French activist dies after skinhead fight". The Sydney Morning Herald. 7 June 2013. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  24. ^ "Left-wing activist dies after Paris skinhead attack". France 24. 6 June 2013. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  25. ^ "Clement Meric killing: France bans far-right groups". BBC News. 10 July 2013. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  26. ^ Sicard, Mathieu (7 June 2013). "Mort de Clément Méric : faut-il donner la parole à Serge Ayoub et aux JNR ?" [Death of Clément Méric: should we give Serge Ayoub and the JNR a voice?]. L'Obs (in French). Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  27. ^ "Rassemblements en mémoire de Clément Méric" [Rallies in memory of Clément Méric]. Le Monde (in French). 6 June 2013. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  28. ^ "Auch. Samedi rassemblement en mémoire de Clément Méric" [Auch. Rally in memory of Clément Méric on Saturday]. La Dépêche du Midi (in French). 5 June 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  29. ^ Otter, Margaux (3 June 2023). "Dix ans après, la mort de Clément Méric devenue symbole de la lutte antifasciste" [Ten years later, the death of Clément Méric has become a symbol of the antifascist struggle]. L'Obs (in French). Retrieved 22 June 2023.
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