11 on trial in France for teenage murder with racial hate speech

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Eleven defendants will face trial in France after being accused of killing a 16-year-old in 2023 while engaging in speech “against the white race and the French nation,” according to a judicial order seen by POLITICO.

The death of Thomas Perotto in the village of Cr´epol quickly became a political flashpoint, with far-right figures like Eric Zemmour framing the incident as an example of the threat posed by immigrants.

President Emmanuel Macron called it a “terrible assassination,” while far-right leader Marine Le Pen described the attack as the work of an “armed militia.”

The killing later fueled far-right mobilization , including an attempted “punitive expedition” by identitarian militants in nearby Romans-sur-Isère.

French judges have sent 11 defendants to the juvenile assize court over the 2023 stabbing to death of 16-year-old Thomas Perotto, with the case involving a racial aggravating factor in the reference to “the white race and the French nation,” French media reported Friday.

The order sending them to trial, seen by POLITICO, accuses the defendants of murdering Perotto at a village fête in Crépol, attempting to kill three other people and violently attacking others. Judges seek to trial them as a group because the investigation hasn’t determined who is alleged to have delivered the fatal blow, AFP reported .

The judges’ order states the alleged killing was “preceded, accompanied or followed by words, writings, images, objects or acts of any kind” harming the honor of victims or a group because of their supposed race, ethnicity, nation or religion — “in this case, the white race and the French nation.”

Some defendants were minors when the attack took place. All are presumed innocent. The Valence prosecutor’s office had initially sought trial on murder and attempted murder charges without the aggravating factor, saying witness statements supporting it were “in the minority” and “imprecise.”

Denis Dreyfus, a lawyer representing a group of attendees claiming damages, told POLITICO that the charges matched arguments his side had made. “We welcome the considerable work carried out by the investigating judges,” he said, adding that the case should now proceed with “the dignity due to Thomas and the victims.”

The defense pushed back on the charges. “How can our client be sent to trial for murder aggravated by a racial circumstance when neither the fatal blow nor any racist remarks are personally attributed to him?” lawyers Seydi Ba and Diala Al-Shaman, who represent one of the defendants, said, according to AFP .

A trial date has not been set. Elise Rey-Jacquot, a lawyer representing another defendent, told RTL on Saturday she would appeal the charges, potentially delaying proceedings.