The assault on Kenzo, a child with brain cancer who is about to lose his sight, during his trip to support Marseille football team, caused outrage in France, joined by President Emmanuel Macron, who called for "stronger" and "clearer" sanctions against the perpetrators of the attack.
The 8-year-old French boy Kenzo traveled to the island of Corsica with his parents, at the invitation of Air Corse and the Rotary Club Federation, to achieve his dream - before losing his sight completely - to see his favorite team Olympique de Marseille in their match against Ajaccio last Saturday, in the final round of the French league 2022-2023.
The family was surprised by a group of Ajaccio fans attacking them when they saw the boy wearing their rival's shirt. According to the mother, they beat her husband twice in the face, Kenzo on the head, tore the Marseille shirt and then burned it.
Nicolas Sabt, the prosecutor of Ajaccio on the island of Corsica, described the events as "relatively serious offences", given that attacks that occur inside stadiums are punished more harshly than those that occur outside.
The assault on the sick child sparked a massive sympathy campaign that prompted the prosecutor's office to assert that the investigation was proceeding "very quickly" to identify the aggressors by analyzing security camera imagery.
Kenzo, 8 ans, atteint d'un cancer du cerveau et supporter de l'OM, agressé par des supporters d'Ajaccio
La soirée a aussi été marquée par l'agression d'un journaliste de France 3, des cris racistes et des violences dans le stade pic.twitter.com/8Vzg0eJcux
— BFMTV (@BFMTV) June 4, 2023
French President Macron joined the public outrage on Monday, calling for "stronger" and "clearer" sanctions against the perpetrators of the attack on the child.
In a statement to the press during a trip to Mont-Saint-Michel (northwestern France), Macron denounced the "absolutely unacceptable" attack, which shows a growing trend towards violence in sports stadiums that "we cannot get used to".
🚨 Emmanuel Macron réclame des sanctions « fortes » après l'agression de Kenzo, 8 ans et atteint d'un cancer du cerveau, lors d'Ajaccio-OM.
« C'est totalement inacceptable. Il se bat avec beaucoup de courage contre la maladie. C'est un supporter fidèle. Rien ne justifie ça. » pic.twitter.com/1X07LHll2Y
— Actu Foot (@ActuFoot_) June 5, 2023
After the assault on the child, Ajaccio FC published a statement calling it a "shame", reiterating its support for the child's family, and condemning "with the greatest firmness" the attack on Kenzo and his father.
The club said in the statement: "Not even the most stupid can justify these actions."
French Sports Minister Emily O'Deia Castera expressed support for the family of the child who were victims of "absolutely intolerable violence" and said she would try to contact Kenzo and praised the position of Ajaccio Club, which firmly condemned the incident.