“Families demand that the racist character” be retained, says the mayor of Romans-sur-Isère

The various right-wing mayor of Romans-sur-Isère Marie-Hélène Thoraval affirmed this Wednesday, November 29 that “families» victims of the attack on the village ball in Crépol in Drôme, around ten days ago, asked “that the racist character» be retained by the courts.

“Families ask for two things, affirmed the elected official, questioned about BFM-RMC. The first is an unquestionable firmness of justice, and the second thing is that the racist character which was manifested by its attackers be taken into account“, she said. The mayor of Romans-sur-Isère also said “fear other tragedies» after Thomas’ murder. “We find ourselves with two fronts“, lamented the elected official, adding that all those involved are “from already delinquent parents“. “It is a culture that is transmitted», Said the mayor, in office since 2014.

Asked about the Monnaie district, from which some of the suspects come, Marie-Hélène Thoraval affirmed that of the 4,500 inhabitants, “a hundred young people» posed problems, «with a particularly violent hard core“.

“We must stop practicing the culture of excuses”

This “hard core”still according to the mayor, would try to create in the Drôme “a lawless zone by occupying the territory“. An occupation which would be to the detriment of the 34,000 inhabitants of the city who “long for tranquility“. “An entire territory is affected», Underlined the elected official. Before adding: “We must stop practicing the culture of excuses“.

Concerning the first names of the suspects, the mayor of Romans-sur-Isère affirmed that the fact of “do not communicate first names earlier was indecent.” “Why, when it comes to another tragedy, do we communicate the first and last name straight away? There, the first names circulated on the networks before being confirmed by the authorities. (…) Why don’t we have this notion of transparency from the start? It only reinforces the stigma“, she asked herself.

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As of Sunday, the mayor called for “sit around the table and work differently (…) faced with a level of delinquency which calls for other forms of response» in Romans and other towns, believing that delinquency found “its roots in radicalization” and the “drug traffic“.

On Monday, the government tried to ease tensions linked to ultra-right rallies, sparked by Thomas’ death. Traveling to the bereaved village of Crépol, government spokesperson Olivier Véran called for “not responding with violence to violence“. What cost the 16-year-old high school student his life was not “a simple fight” but “a tragedy which poses the risk of a shift in our society“, did he declare. “It is up to the courts to do justice. Not to the French themselves», continued the minister.