France: a second suspect arrested in the assault of a photojournalist in Reims

Rally in the Red Cross district to denounce the assault on French photojournalist Christian Lantenois, in Reims on March 4, 2021. AFP - FRANCOIS NASCIMBENI

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In France, news in the case of the assault on the photojournalist in Reims.

A second suspect was arrested and indicted on Saturday for "participating in a group to prepare acts of violence".

A 21-year-old young man who faces a year in prison.

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It is not the first time that he has come into contact with the courts.

His criminal record shows two convictions between 2017 and 2019 for extortion and possession of narcotics. 

Unlike the first suspect, he was not remanded in custody.

But he must comply with certain constraints, in particular he is prohibited from returning to the scene of the attack.

A sensitive district of Reims in which Christian Lantenois, photographer for the daily

L'Union

, came to cover the preparations for a brawl last week.

Thirteen people then took him to task.

On Wednesday, investigators arrested a first suspect.

They suspect him of being the one who beat the journalist, aiming his head, first with his fists, then with the victim's camera.

On Friday, Gérald Darmanin visited the premises of the newspaper

L'Union

.

The management and the Minister of the Interior have initiated a reflection on the conditions in which journalists work. 

For now, the sixty-five-year-old photographer is in an artificial coma.

Its vital prognosis is still engaged.

To read also: A photojournalist violently attacked in Reims, the Elysee reacts

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A photojournalist violently attacked in Reims, the Elysee reacts