A young man in his twenties, of Muslim faith and son of a policewoman, was beaten up in Belfort on Friday, December 25, after posting on Snapchat a photo of the meal he was having with his family in the occasion of Christmas.
The image is uploaded at 3 p.m. It shows oysters and prawns. The photo, all that is banal, arouses a very vindictive reaction from one of his acquaintances (school and football club) who accuses him of celebrating Christmas while he is a Muslim.
The young man lives with his mother, a police officer in Mulhouse, and his stepfather, a police officer in Belfort, in a house in the Greater Belfort area. The stepfather is not a Muslim. The two officials are judicial police officers.
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“Dirty sons of whites, sons of snakes, sons of policemen”
The messages are aggressive: “Dirty son of white, son of a snake, son of police.” And, after a string of insults: “I’ll show you what a real Arab”.
The young Belfortain contacts his interlocutor and asks him for explanations. The latter gives him an appointment in Belfort.
According to the information we have been able to gather, they meet in a car park in the Mont district in Belfort, it seems near a place called “Les terrasses du Mont”.
When he arrives, five young men, including his interlocutor, are waiting for him. They beat him and leave him on the ground after threatening him with even worse reprisals if he talks about it or files a complaint.
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“Shocked” to have seen a picture of oysters
The victim, with a bloody face and bruised body, manages to get behind the wheel of his car and returns to the family home. He files a complaint at the Belfort police station.
The protagonists on Snapchat having been identified, the investigation quickly ends. The author of the offensive messages is placed in custody at the Belfort police station. During his hearing, he would have explained “to have been shocked to see” that the young man had posted pictures of oysters and shrimps, explaining that it was “not Muslim to celebrate Christmas”. The investigation would also have made it possible to identify two other young Belgians who would have participated in the beating.
The main suspect, who knew he was wanted, spontaneously presented himself to the police station. The case is not handled by the local police, colleagues of the father-in-law.
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“He fell into a real trap”
The mother of the victim, stationed in Mulhouse, is scandalized: “He fell into a real trap. He is made to pay for his origins but above all for being the son of a couple of police officers. These are sectarian and racist behaviors, it is unacceptable in the 21st century! We cannot tolerate this kind of thing. Everyone is free to celebrate what they want and as they wish. Most importantly, no one has to pay for having parents who are police officers. This affair must not go without follow-up, ”she said.
It will be up to the Public Prosecutor’s Office to qualify the facts, and in particular to apply a legal analysis to the fact of being the target of violence because of his participation in a celebration with religious connotations, of being the son of a police officer or even to the fact. to have a white stepfather.
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“Pure and simple racism”
“It’s pure and simple racism,” summarizes the police union UNSA. “These facts are extremely serious, especially in the current climate”, indicates the union which brings “its full support” to the victim and his family.
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“Anger and disgust in the face of anti-cop hatred and this infectious religious fundamentalism”, comments for his part Michel Corriaux, Grand East regional secretary of the Alliance union. “The criminal response must be firm and uncompromising. Good recovery for the victim and unfailing support for our colleagues, ”he adds.
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