The family of Louis, the 17-year-old boy beaten to death at a construction site in Narbonne, France, have spoken publicly about the impact of the attack, with his aunt describing the footage of the incident as “unspeakable.”
Marie-Julie Marteau, Louis’ aunt, told BFMTV on Monday, June 29, that she had watched videos of the assault and said the family had been left deeply traumatized. She said Louis’ mother had been “in a state of total shock” since the teenager’s death.
Marteau described the video as extremely distressing and said the family struggled to understand the level of violence shown in the footage.
She added that those responsible appeared to show no remorse during the assault. “They are laughing, they beat him, they leave him no way out,” she said, describing the footage as showing the attack being recorded alongside “snickering and selfies.”
Louis’ mother told Le Journal du Dimanche “This is not the time for mourning; it is the time for war,” demanding that the accused be tried as adults. She said France’s juvenile justice laws needed to be revised, and recalled that she had repeatedly warned social services that her son was in danger.
In another interview Nicolas Hervé, the father of Louis, stated that he has never watched the videos of the assault and refuses to ever watch them, wanting to remember a beautiful image of his son. He describes Louis as a truly good, gentle boy who never fought, loved playing the guitar, and enjoyed going fishing with him.
Louis’ death has triggered widespread anger in France, with hundreds of people marching in Narbonne on June 28th.
Another rally is to be held on Sunday, July 5th, at 11:00 a.m. in front of the Narbonne City Hall in France, called for by Louis’ family. The organisers, who dubbed the even ‘The Lat March,’ said they expect supporters from across Europe.
