French Navy determined
Masked soldiers are said to have attacked rioters
07/06/2023, 10:30 am
The violent protests in France have slowly calmed down, as reports of masked army members allegedly beating rioters are causing displeasure. Apparently the police let her do it too.
The French Navy is investigating reports of soldiers wearing masks and wearing civilian clothes attacking rioters in Lorient, western France. The “Forfusco” unit stationed there has initiated an investigation, the Ministry of Defense said in Paris. It declined to comment until the results were presented.
Pictures from the local newspaper “Le Telegramm” from Friday evening showed groups of so-called counter-rioters who, masked and in hoodies, beat protesters. In a weekend report, the newspaper quoted an anonymous police officer as saying the officers had the “counter-rioters” intervene “because they helped us.” The police later found that they were “a little too harsh”.
The newspaper “Ouest-France” published an interview in which a 25-year-old reported that he was a member of the armed forces and would support the police with around 30 colleagues. The public prosecutor of Lorient, Stéphane Kellenberger, said the previous evening that no investigation could be initiated without a legal complaint or “concrete or objective evidence”.
Mayor reports on “people in masks”
The city’s mayor, Fabrice Loher, said he could not confirm the events. However, he saw “people in masks”. “We thought they were rioters,” he said. It is important to him what the naval unit says. However, he was concerned about the impact the incident would have on his city’s reputation.
Over the past week, more than 3,500 people have been arrested during violent protests across France. The trigger was the death of a 17-year-old who was shot dead during a police check in a Paris suburb. In the city of Lorient, the police arrested four people on Friday evening.