The figures, dramatic, speak for themselves, in this macabre rubble which comes to mourn the Marseille summer. In one month, 12 people died in shootings on funds of narcobanditry in Marseille. Three deaths per week, on average. The month of August is particularly bloody: seven people have been killed in turf wars in just two weeks. The fault, according to the prefect of police of Bouches-du-Rhône, to the latent conflict between two rival gangs, “Yoda” and “DZ Mafia”. These two narcotics points are anchored in the small but lucrative city of La Paternelle, in the 14th arrondissement of Marseille, very close to the motorway. According to Frédérique Camilleri, 80% of the 68 shootings since the beginning of the year in working-class neighborhoods are linked to this enmity, which has experienced a resurgence in recent days.
In this violent context, Gérald Darmanin responded favorably to the prefect’s request to deploy the CRS 8 in the northern districts. In a tweet, the Minister of the Interior announced “targeted operations against drug trafficking in the coming days “. A decision that is not unprecedented. The Minister had already decided to send the CRS 8 last February, to then reiterate the measure in April.
“An umpteenth arrival of the CRS 8”
“There is a bit of communication behind all this, sighs Rudy Manna, former departmental secretary of the Bouches-du-Rhône of Alliance, now national spokesperson for the police union. Darmanin wants to give the impression that he will take charge of finding a solution. For us, police officers, it is not uninteresting to have more manpower. But having a greater presence in the cities does not mean that we will stop trafficking. This is the fourth time, I believe, that the CRS 8 has come. And there are still so many shootings and so much drug trafficking! Clearly, it’s giving Doliprane to calm the pain. Will this solve the problem? I think it’s complicated. »
“Honestly, in the neighborhoods, we don’t know what it’s for, sighs Hassen Hammou, founder of the collective Too young to die. It’s yet another arrival of the CRS 8 with an ephemeral operation in a city. There had to be a reaction to the number of deaths. Something had to be done. But to think that this solution will stop the settling of accounts is utopian. »
“We can’t be behind every guy”
“This solution is interesting, especially in this very tense period when there is a lack of manpower like every summer, estimates Bruno Bartocetti, national secretary SGP Police-FO Unit in charge of the South zone. It can ease the situation for a few weeks. But we know it well: as soon as the CRS 8 leaves, it will be the same logic. The CRS 8 is intended to bring down a situation, not to stay forever within a specific perimeter. The CRS 8, it is not she who will bring down the narcotics networks in Marseille. If we want to fight the networks, we have to give ourselves the means. »
In order to perpetuate the measure, Emmanuel Macron announced last June during a trip to the northern districts the deployment of a CRS company in Marseille all year round, modeled on the CRS 8 model. This company of 200 people will notably have the mission to fight against the wars of territories on background of narcobanditism. But the idea does not convince either the police or the inhabitants of these neighborhoods. “The city is so huge that we can’t be behind every guy, plague Rudy Manna. It’s not possible ! »
“We need real prevention work upstream”
“Despite our good work, the problem remains unsolved, sighs Bruno Bartocetti. These people are not afraid of death. So prison does not scare them. The stup, it brings in so much money… We will upset them, embarrass them. But, Marseille, it remains very extensive. It’s two and a half times Paris! And there are many cities. In the 15th arrondissement alone, there are around fifty estates that touch each other. So it’s a bit like emptying the sea with a teaspoon. »
“It is not possible to think that the police, the emergency physician of society, will calm things down, sighs Rudy Manna. We must do real prevention work upstream. If we don’t go to schools, it’s useless! “The CRS 8 is a way of responding to emergencies, not a way of really solving a problem, abounds Hassen Hammou. This is a patch solution, not a deep solution. It’s a whole system that needs to be dismantled, to tackle all the causes. Why are some in the estates unemployed? Why are some people dropping out of school? »
“You will see, predicts Bruno Bartocetti. The situation today is grim. At the end of the year, it will be very dark. To date, according to the latest count from AFP, 36 people have lost their lives in the second city of France since the beginning of the year on the background of drug trafficking. While the year is not over, it is three more than in 2022, a sad record in this area.