A plainclothes police officer and his wife were taken with part Saturday evening while returning on their premises, in the seventh district of Lyon. "There was an outburst of violence," laments at the microphone of Europe 1 Ludovic Cassier, departmental representative of the union SGP Police union.

A police officer and his wife were attacked on Saturday evening in Lyon. His attackers notably called him a "dirty cop", when he was returning home in the seventh arrondissement, with his wife, before he beat him. He was not on duty, dressed in civilian clothes. But his attackers knew very well that he was a policeman.

How did the police attack? 

It all started with an altercation at the wheel, says Ludovic Cassier, departmental representative of the union SGP Police union, at the microphone of Europe 1. "It starts from the behavior of a motorist who does anything with his vehicle. The colleague told him just remonstrates, tells him to be careful. And from there, there has been an outburst of violence, "said the union representative. "He was immediately insulted. We told him 'don't move, dirty cop, we're going to bugger you'. So our colleague was clearly known to the individuals in question," he continues. The aggressor had indeed already dealt with the police, several times even.

Saturday evening, he was quickly joined by other young people from his neighborhood. There will be 12 in total, who are starting to beat up the policeman on the ground. Punches, kicks, batons, on the head, back, legs. His wife too is beaten. Today the policeman suffers from a triple fracture in the leg and must be operated on.

How do colleagues react? 

Facts that shocked his colleagues enormously, in the context that we know, as explained by Ludovic Cassier. "We are shocked because he was targeted as a police officer, so he was the victim of willful violence, discrimination, anti-cop racism. The police were already targets in the context of their missions, they are now in part of their classic life, "laments the departmental representative of the union SGP Police union. Before continuing: "This is a direct consequence of certain remarks made by politicians, which tend to weaken our institution, our police mission".

An investigation was opened, entrusted to the Departmental Security. Several young people have already been identified but not yet arrested.