Bas-Rhin Assizes: opening of the trial of two men accused of murder on New Year’s Eve 2021 in Strasbourg

The atmosphere should be tense during the three days of the trial which opened on November 21 before the Bas-Rhin assizes. On the stand, two men, accused of murder in a context of latent disagreement between members of the Manouche and Spanish communities, in the Aéropostale district of Strasbourg.

It is a trial under close surveillance which has been held since Tuesday, November 21 and for three days, before the Bas-Rhin assizes in Strasbourg. Law enforcement officers mobilized to ensure the serenity of the proceedings and security in and around the court.

Measures which are due to the tense context between the Manouche and Spanish communities of the Strasbourg Aéropostale district, who came together during this hearing.

On the stand, two men accused of murder and attempted murder and another who appears free, accused of violence with weapons. The events took place on New Year’s Eve 2021, against a backdrop of widespread brawl between these rival clans.

That night, a big party is organized bringing together many residents of this neighborhood, born in the 1950s with the installation and then settling of travelers, particularly of Gypsy and Spanish gypsy origin. The alcohol flows freely and the situation escalates. Josué Gorreta, a 38-year-old father from the Spanish gypsy clan, was killed with 18 stab wounds while several other participants were injured.

Shots are exchanged, knives are drawn, a young girl is hit by a car driven by Josué Gorreta. So obviously, three years after the events, the situation remains tense and in the court, support from each clan is there.

It must be said that the deadly stabbings were followed by reprisals in the neighborhood: houses burned, attacks, noxious climate, therefore in this Aéropostale district where a thousand people from the traveling community live.

“We are at the stage where we have children out of school because of attacks, they are afraid of meeting each other. People have had to leave their homes, some who had lived there for half a century but it was leave or die”, say Xavier Metzger, defense lawyer and Laura Mourey, lawyer for the civil parties.

And to add in the corridors of the court, “I think we will have difficulties. There will be a lot of disagreement between the defendants, no doubt with the aim of accusing each other. We have had a lot of hearings with varying statements,” regrets Laura Moutey.

And in fact, Maître Michaël Wacquez, defense lawyer, confirms that his client denies ever having held a knife in his hands. “We asked for a reconstitution, it’s the minimum we can expect when there is such confusion. We are not here to get a wholesale price, my client was not alone on the scene,” he insists.

A first day of hearing, this Tuesday, November 21, to recall the facts, present the accused and take stock of the investigation. The verdict is expected on Thursday.