A fight involving around 15 people has left four minors, travelling to school in Ozoir-la-Ferrière, north-central France, injured—two of them seriously. The violent attack prompted one of Marine Le Pen’s MPs to criticise the ruling class for “the same silence and stammering.”
One victim had several fingers cut off and another had his skull split open after the attackers—reportedly armed with several bladed weapons, including a knife, axe, and katana, as well as baseball bats—boarded an RER E train at around 8:00 a.m. on Monday. A 16-year-old, who has been identified as the main suspect, was later arrested at his home, where police seized an axe and a knife. Frontieres Media Editor-in-Chief Jules Laurans reported on X that the suspect is “of African origin” (“de type africain”).
Further information about either the identities or the motives of the attackers is currently scarce, although Le Figaro suggests that “the fight could be linked to a rivalry between gangs from different cities.”
Teddy Robin, the Rassemblement National (RN) municipal councillor of Ozoir-la-Ferrière, said the attackers were “savages,” adding that “there are no other words” to describe them.
One local resident also told reporters that the attack “doesn’t surprise me that much”—a fairly dire indictment of attempts by the authorities to deal with rising crime.
Footage shared on social media shows a number of the victims holding their wounds while sitting in puddles of their own blood. RN MP Laure Lavalette said these scenes were “horrific,” adding:
Every day brings its share of horrors. Every day, the same silence and stammering of a ruling class that is abandoning the country.
The injured were taken to hospital and an investigation has been entrusted to the central police station in Torcy.
