France: President Hollande condemns fatal attack on teenage gay rights activist

Illustrated rainbow pride flag on a white background.

President Francois Hollande has condemned the fatal attack on a French teenage gay rights activist “in the strongest terms”.

Clément Méric, an 18-year-old student at Sciences Po in Paris, was violently attacked by a group of three skinheads, including one woman, near Saint-Lazare train station on Wednesday evening.

He was struck by a knuckle-duster and his head hit the ground as he fell, police say.

The teenager was placed on life support but was declared brain dead and died on Thursday.

A vigil will take place this evening.

Several people with links to the far-right have been arrested, according to French media.

A friend of Mr Meric’s, Claire Cosquer, told reporters that his death was murder and had happened in the context of “a very worrying rise of radical far-right movements”.

Marc Bruyer, a gay French businessman living in London told PinkNews.co.uk: “I am really shocked by what’s happening in my country, it’s totally insane. I have been a student in Paris and this sort of thing has never happened as far as I remember. The extreme right is on the ascendancy and I am really worried – to be honest I feel safer in London.”

Anti-gay crime has soared with the arrival of equal marriage in France.

President Francois Hollande called for the “violent acts” to stop in April.

Comments (0)

MyPinkNews members are invited to comment on articles to discuss the content we publish, or debate issues more generally. Please familiarise yourself with our community guidelines to ensure that our community remains a safe and inclusive space for all.

Loading Comments