Inès Zeghloul / Photo credit: Geoffroy VAN DER HASSELT / AFP 09:24 a.m., December 02, 2023

On Friday evening, 200 people responded to a call to rally at the Place du Panthéon in Paris. The protest was initiated by an ultra-right group that wanted to pay tribute to Thomas, who was killed at a ball in Crépol two weeks ago. The rally was held under heavy police surveillance. Europe 1 was there.

"Justice for Thomas, Frenchman, wake up!" was the message echoed by the 200 participants in a rally on the Place du Panthéon on Friday night in Paris. All of them responded to the call of the ultra-right group "Les Natifs" which wanted to pay tribute to the teenager killed on the sidelines of a ball in Crépol, in the Drôme. "I came with my French flag, to show that the whole of France is with Thomas. When you attack a 16-year-old kid who has a quiet life, you attack the French people," a participant who came to pound the pavement told Europe 1.

On the Place du Panthéon, flags and black clothes were brought out, but there was no sign of a balaclava or neck warmer, traditionally present during ultra-right demonstrations. The instigators of the rally want the event to take place with an uncovered face. "It's about honouring the memory of Thomas and it's also about denouncing a climate of insecurity that is not limited to big cities," explains Antoine, a member of the small group "Les Natifs".

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An important monitoring system

Participants come from rural areas similar to Crépol, where Thomas died. This is the case of 23-year-old Erwan, who does not hide his anger. "People who come from immigrant backgrounds arrive with butcher knives at a village festival that I knew when I was a child. It's always the same people who attack, anyone can come to this country, but there are times when you have to behave properly," he said.

In the adjacent streets, the police surveillance system is impressive. Drones, riot police and mobile brigades are present to supervise the demonstration in order to avoid excesses. The crowd dispersed 1 hour and 30 minutes later peacefully.