On April 7, a teenager was filmed by a friend, throwing seven kittens a few days old from the Bruéjouls bridge, in Clairvaux d’Aveyron, about twenty kilometers northwest of Rodez. The video, shared among a group of friends, went viral after one of them posted it on social media for everyone to see.
The national police and several associations have launched an appeal for calm after an eruption of hate speech on the Internet for several days. “We call on all these angry people to let justice take its course and to stop making the situation worse,” underlines the Chat Libre 12 association.
The teenager was the subject of numerous threats. Aged 16, he presented himself spontaneously to the Rodez police station. “Complaints have been filed. Our judicial services have placed a young man in custody and he will have to answer for his actions before the courts,” says the national police, who also warn of “disproportionate and inappropriate reactions (…). These videos have been partly modified, some information is false. Beware of confusion and false information.”
“This boy’s loved ones do not have to suffer so much violence”
One Voice, in particular, filed a complaint against the teenager and against the woman who filmed the scene without intervening. The association nevertheless recalls that “engaging in virtual harassment against him will in no way resolve the situation. This is why we call on everyone to moderate their comments and not engage in a manhunt.”
The Lévézou Ségala Aveyron XV rugby club, in which the young man is reportedly licensed, is also the target of numerous malicious comments. The association “reserves the right to take all necessary action to stop any malicious act against it”. The teenager’s name and address are circulating on the Internet with calls for hatred. “This boy’s loved ones do not have to suffer so much violence,” confirms the Rodez SPA.