the funeral of Thomas, killed in Crépol

Thomas Perotto, a 16-year-old high school student, was the victim of a fatal stabbing last week in Crépol, in the Drôme. The teenager died on the sidelines of a ball attacked by several individuals. His funeral takes place today at 10 a.m., in Saint-Donat-sur-L’Herbasse. A huge crowd came to bid him farewell.

Despite the freezing cold, a huge crowd came to attend Thomas’ funeral this Friday morning. The ceremony is organized within the collegiate church of Saint-Donat-sur-l’Herbasse, just a few kilometers from the village of Crépol where he died.

Hundreds of people, silent and collected, are present in the small square in front of the church. Friends from the rugby club are there too. They wore the white and blue jersey of RC Romans-Péage for these last farewells to their captain.

The teenager from Drôme, who died tragically, succumbed to his injuries on the night of November 18 to 19, after being stabbed with a knife on the sidelines of a ball organized in the village hall of this quiet village of 550 inhabitants. . The death of the young man caused a wave of emotion and indignation throughout the country.

The religious ceremony is reserved for family and friends, but a system must allow other people to follow the mass outside.

On the eve of the funeral, more than 200 people gathered in the evening at the Crépol church for a funeral vigil organized by the parish with the agreement of the teenager’s family.

A white march in memory of Thomas took place Wednesday afternoon, in the streets of Romans-sur-Isère, the town in which the high school student attended school. The march that left his high school reached the stadium where he played rugby. The tribute brought together more than 6,000 people. A tribute that the high school student’s family wanted to be “apolitical”.

Nine people were arrested in this case on November 21, seven in the Toulouse region and two in Romans-sur-Isère. They were placed in police custody as part of the investigation opened for “murder” and “attempted murder by an organized gang” after Thomas’ death. Police custody continues and is expected to last until Saturday, for a total of 96 hours. At the same time, police continue to search for other suspects. Three of the suspects are minors over 16 years old, the others are between 19 and 22 years old, some are known to the courts.