Arthur, 23, lodged a complaint for alleged police violence in Lyon Place Bellecour on December 10, 2019. -

Bastien Doudaine

  • Two police officers from the Bac, stationed at the security of the Rhône, will be tried Tuesday before the criminal court of Lyon for willful violence against a protester.

  • They are accused of having participated in the beating of a young man of 24 years old on December 10, 2019 Place Bellecour, on the sidelines of a demonstration against the pension reform.

  • The victim had lost nine teeth and had a fractured jaw.

For over a year, he has been waiting for justice to be done in order to be able to rebuild himself and for each of those he accuses to recognize their responsibility.

This Tuesday, two Bac police officers must appear before the sixteenth chamber of the Lyon Criminal Court for "willful violence in a meeting by a person holding public authority" after the beating of a demonstrator on December 10, 2019. trial scheduled for early December but postponed for various administrative issues.

On the day of the events, Arthur, 24, was violently beaten by police on the sidelines of a demonstration against pension reform.

Having come to Lyon to see some friends, he had joined the procession out of curiosity by going down to buy a meal shortly before the arrival of the demonstration at Place Bellecour.

Seeing the situation degenerate between the police and demonstrators, the young man was about to leave the scene and was approaching Place Antonin-Poncet when he had been shot by an official and found himself surrounded by police officers.

According to the young man's version, he had just applauded an amusing remark made by a trade unionist to a police officer when he had been caught by the official.

A filmed scene

On the images of the scene, filmed and then relayed on social networks, we see the victim then wipe multiple kicks, punches and batons.

When the violence finally stops, Arthur gets up, his mouth bleeding, and staggers.

“I took a shoot that knocked me down.

I received punches.

When they stopped, a policeman kicked me in the leg again.

He told me "well done for you" ", told

20 Minutes

the young man the day after the facts.

In the violence, Arthur, a bartender who was to take a job at Club Med in the Alps the day after the assault, had nine teeth broken and his jaw fractured.

He has since had to have dentures fitted and had to undergo surgery to straighten his nasal septum.

"Between what has been supported by Social Security and the mutual, he has already paid out of his pocket 9,000 euros," said his lawyer Thomas Fourrey, who will ask the hearing for compensation for the cost of this care and the moral damage suffered by Arthur.

Who broke his teeth?

But the bulk of the debates should focus on the role played by the two Rhône security police officers at the time of the events.

One of them is being prosecuted for “willful violence by a person holding public authority [PDAP] which did not result in ITT”.

The second, accused of having hit the young man in the legs is tried for "voluntary violence by PDAP resulting in an ITT of more than eight days", recalls the lawyer.

But the analysis of the video shot at the time of the facts and on which we can clearly distinguish the blows carried could lead to other conclusions.

And change the charges against one of the Bac men.

"It will be a question of determining who struck the blows with the tonfa, who broke their teeth", adds the lawyer for the civil party, who will not fail to remind the bar that his client, who was walking in peace at the time of the events, the face uncovered, "in no way represented a threat to the police".

Our dossier on violence

The two officials, indicted after an investigation by the IGPN but still in office at the end of 2020, face three years and seven years in prison.

Their lawyer Me Lienard, contacted

by 20 Minutes,

has not responded to our requests for the time being.

Justice

Lyon: The police officers to be tried for "willful violence in meetings" will finally appear in February

Miscellaneous

Lyon: Fractured jaw and broken teeth… A young man accuses the police of violence on the sidelines of a demonstration

  • Police violence

  • Police

  • Lyon

  • Demonstration

  • Justice

  • Trial