In Rouen, an investigation is opened after a viral video of violence on the sidelines of the demonstrations

An investigation into aggravated violence was opened in Rouen after the broadcast by the media Blast of a video where nationalist activists beat a man following the demonstration on October 24, we learned from the prosecutor on Monday.

On Saturday, after the demonstration was dispersed, “clashes took place between individuals from ultra-right and ultra-left movements in the city center of Rouen,” explained Rouen public prosecutor Sébastien Gallois in a press release.

“A video of these events, broadcast on the social network X by the media Blast, has since been widely relayed on social networks,” he added. In this video, we see a group of individuals, some masked and hooded, running in the city center before hitting a man to the ground. A few moments later, around ten police officers pass through the group to check on the victim of the beating, while the perpetrators of the violence retreat to cries of “Rouen nationalist” and “the street, France, belongs to us”.

An investigation into aggravated violence entrusted to the national police was opened on Sunday according to Mr. Gallois. The prefect of Seine-Maritime reported on Monday “the elements in his knowledge” on the basis of article 40, again according to the prosecution. On Sunday, the PS deputy for Seine-Maritime Florence Herouin-Léautey and the mayor of Rouen Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol (PS) alerted the prefect by letter about “ultra-right” individuals who had “repeatedly attacked demonstrators”.

Florence Herouin-Léautey and Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol are concerned that “these episodes are part of an upsurge in violence in Rouen perpetrated by ultra-right groups who now act openly”. The two elected socialists also asked Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu on Monday for the dissolution of ultra-right groups, including “Les Normalaux, direct heirs in Rouen of + Génération identitaire +, dissolved in 2021”, as well as “L'Action française”.