Yohann Tritz, edited by Gauthier Delomez 8:25 p.m., December 16, 2022

Despite the appeal for calm launched by the family of Aymen, the 14-year-old teenager who was fatally mown on Wednesday evening in Montpellier, the tension has risen a notch between a group of people and the gypsy community of the city, whose from the driver currently wanted by the police.

Tensions in Montpellier after France's victory against Morocco on Wednesday in the semi-finals of the World Cup.

A 14-year-old teenager, Aymen, was hit by a car on the sidelines of the post-match celebrations.

While a tribute ceremony was organized in his memory in his college, the prefect of Hérault confirmed that the driver had been identified, but that he was still actively sought.

The passenger of the vehicle was also placed in police custody, according to information Europe 1.

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Despite the appeal for calm made by the boy's family, young people wanted to launch a punitive expedition Thursday evening against the gypsy community, where the driver came from.

Violence with the CRS, no injuries to deplore

It was from 7 p.m. on Thursday that a group of around a hundred people gathered in the popular district of La Paillade to come and fight.

They were immediately intercepted by CRS, and jets of projectiles were launched towards the police.

They responded with tear gas.

According to the prefecture, there were no injuries.

Only garbage cans and a car were set on fire.

At the same time, an apartment of a Montpellier resident, perhaps in connection with the drama of the day before, had been ransacked in retaliation.

It took until midnight for calm to return to the city.

Fear grips the gypsy community

However, fear grips the gypsy community.

His spokesperson, Fernand Maraval, went to the prefecture on Friday afternoon to try to ease tensions.

He condemns the acts of Thursday evening.

"A few little young people who degrade and who come with heavy weapons to provoke members of the community, whom we appease, we calm... We don't want war," he says.

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"We must not mix everything up", continues the spokesperson for the gypsy community in Montpellier.

"There was this drama, justice will respond to it. Let justice be done. I am not here to judge what happened, but to appease", he confirms.

According to him, several gypsy families preferred to flee, fearing for their safety.

Tensions are especially fueled on social networks, with many calls for revenge.

To avoid any new overflow, 160 CRS as well as many units of the BAC will be deployed in strategic points of Montpellier.