French news photographer lynched in Reims by Muslim youths

It is an attempted murder of a photo-journalist of the regional French newspaper L’Union l’ardennais. At around 2:30 pm, the photographer went to the Red Cross district when suspicions of tensions had been raised a little earlier. Present alongside the police, he was attacked by a group of young Muslims, according to our colleagues, and suffered blows from paving stones being hurled at him. When the police and other journalists arrived at the scene, they had to face a Muslim mob armed with iron bars, golf clubs and fire extinguishers.

Picked up by the ambulance emergency services, the SAMU, the photographer is currently in a critical condition. He was transferred to the University Hospital of Reims. The public prosecutor opened an investigation for “attempted murder”. According to Matthieu Bourrette, he was probably there “to cover a gathering of youths – the rest of the circumstances remain unknown and deserve to be clarified,” he added.

Additional police forces were called in to secure the scene. The Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, reacted to this violent attack and gave his support to the photo-journalist “seriously injured in the course of his work”. He recalled that the national police were fully mobilized to “identify and question the perpetrators”.

This district of the Red Cross is classified as “sensitive” which already suggests that it has become a no-go zone. “A year ago, just before confinement, a series of clashes between young people from this district and another” took place, recalled the prefect of Marne, Pierre N’Gahane.

The Minister of Culture, Roselyne Bachelot, denounced “a cowardly aggression”. For his part, the mayor of Reims lamented on social networks about “the ignominy of such an act”. Arnaud Robinet said: “I want to express indignation with this collection of scoundrels who are ruining the life of our neighbourhoods.” No suspect has so far been arrested.