The French Navy is investigating reports of soldiers allegedly masking and attacking rioters in Lorient, western France. The “Forfusco” unit stationed there has launched an investigation, the defense ministry said in Paris on Wednesday. It declined to comment until the results were presented.
Photos from the local newspaper “Le Telegramm” on Friday night showed groups of so-called counter-rioters, masked and in hoodies, beating up protesters.
In a weekend report, the newspaper quoted an anonymous police officer as saying that the officers had allowed the “counter-rioters” to intervene “because they were helping us”. Police later felt they were “a little too loud”.
police support?
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 about 30 colleagues. Lorient prosecutor Stéphane Kellenberger said on Wednesday evening that no investigation could be launched without a legal complaint or “concrete or objective evidence”.
“We thought they were rioters”
The city’s mayor, Fabrice Loher, told AFP he could not confirm the events. He did see “people with masks”. “We thought they were rioters,” he said. It is important to him what the naval unit says, the mayor added. However, he was concerned about the impact the incident would have on his city’s reputation.
More than 3,500 people were arrested last week during violent protests across France. The reason was the death of a 17-year-old who was shot during a police check in a Parisian suburb. In the city of Lorient, the police arrested four people on Friday evening.
Source: Krone
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