The death of Clément Méric sparked protests in June 2013. – YAGHOBZADEH RAFAEL / SIPA
The jury will therefore have been more lenient than at first instance. The Essonne Assize Court on Friday sentenced two former skinheads to eight and five years’ imprisonment for the death of Clément Méric, killed during a brawl in Paris in 2013, less severe sentences than first case.
After nearly five hours of deliberation, the two defendants, Esteban Morillo and Samuel Dufour, were found guilty of willful violence resulting in the death of the young anti-fascist activist Clément Méric, without intention of giving it. Intentional violence aggravated by two circumstances: the use of a weapon and the meeting.
On June 5, 2013, Clément Méric, an 18-year-old anti-fascist student, collapsed on the asphalt in the middle of Paris, after being hit in the face, during a brief brawl between far left and far right activists , on the sidelines of a private sale of clothing from the Fred Perry brand.
The jury rejects self-defense
Friday, the two defendants, both dressed in shirts, received their sentence calmly. The two skinheads who had appeared free for two weeks, went to the box of the accused, where their relatives came to embrace them. “You will be taken back to the remand center,” the president of the court, Thierry Fusina, told them.
Esteban Morillo, 28, admitted to having dealt the fatal blows. At first instance, he was sentenced to eleven years’ imprisonment. On appeal, he pleaded self-defense, saying he was “sorry” for the “horrible” death of Clément Méric but ensuring that he had defended himself from an “ambush” orchestrated by anti-fascist activists. The Essonne assizes rejected by an absolute majority this question of self-defense and sentenced him to eight years of imprisonment.
American fist
Samuel Dufour, 27, had been sentenced to seven years at first instance. Even if he had not hit Clément Méric, the Paris Assize Court had ruled that his participation in the fight had prevented Clément Méric’s comrades from coming to the aid of the victim. On appeal, he also assured to have defended himself, which the court of Essonne rejected, by sentencing him to five years of imprisonment.
These sentences are less severe than the requisitions of the prosecution, which had asked for equivalent sentences at the first instance, criticizing the “deadly ideology” of these former skinheads, which resulted in the “absurd” death of Clément Méric.
The court’s motives were not disclosed on Friday evening. “Given the complexity of your case, I did not want to lengthen the delivery of the decision otherwise,” President Thierry Fusina told the condemned, specifying that the motivation sheet will be communicated to them on Monday.
During the two weeks of hearings, witnesses and expert opinions often contradicted each other and did not allow to remove all the gray areas surrounding the brief and violent exchange of blows. The question of the use of an American fist was debated at length, Samuel Dufour and Esteban Morillo formally denying throughout the trial having used it. However, the court found them guilty Friday night of carrying a prohibited weapon. The decision will become final in the absence of a cassation appeal by the accused.