“We never imagined it could get out of hand at this point”, declared Monday, December 6 morning on franceinfo Dominique Sopo, president of SOS Racism after the attack of militants of the anti-racist cause during the first meeting of the candidate Éric Zemmour Sunday in Villepinte. They were taken to task and beaten after having unveiled T-shirts on which was written “No to racism”. Dominique Sopo indicated that the association would “accompany the activists so that they file a complaint”.
franceinfo: What exactly happened?
Dominique Sopo: If we listen to Antoine Diers, [le porte-parole du parti Reconquête d’Éric Zemmour], the fact of coming to a meeting in the French Republic with T-shirts with the phrase “No to racism” is therefore a provocation. It’s quite interesting to hear that in his mouth. I remind you that we are in the Republic and that in the Republic, normally, we can say “No to racism” everywhere. The activists who had come were at the back of the room. There was no question of invading the stage or whatever.
“They just unveiled T-shirts that read ‘No to racism’.”
Dominique Sopo, president of SOS Racismeto franceinfo
Immediately an absolutely incredible wave of violence was unleashed against them, with chairs that flew, blows that rained on the activists who were five to be injured, two of whom had to be treated by firefighters. This is what is undoubtedly called on the part of the supporters of Eric Zemmour and his campaign team an appropriate reaction while, moreover, Eric Zemmour was saying on stage that he was not racist , that he was not a misogynist. We end up with anti-racist activists and in particular women with bloody faces.
What are you going to do ?
We will accompany the activists so that they file a complaint. In addition, this scene of violence takes place under the cameras. So there is no doubt about the nature of the scene. All the journalists present were able to witness the fact that moreover, as usual, SOS Racisme is not at all in a violent action. We are followers of non-violence, as everyone knows. It is filmed extensively by cameras and despite the fact that there are cameras, so we are faced with people who do not hesitate to deploy violence because once again, was written on T-shirts the phrase “No to racism”.
Did you imagine that it could go wrong?
We never imagined it could get out of hand at this point. We obviously came to titillate people. How you have to be either intoxicated with racism or in a form of certainty of omnipotence to be able to do such an act in front of cameras.
“It reminds me a bit of during the civil rights movement [aux États-Unis], when supremacists were ready to unleash dogs on blacks, even though there were photographers or cameras filming the scene. “
Dominique Sopo, president of SOS Racismeto franceinfo
It is absolutely mind-boggling. And it still shows what this candidate is and what the public he draws and what are the activists he brings together because obviously, but the investigation will tell, there were activists from ultra-right fascists who roamed the aisles of the meeting and who, for some of them, were clearly recognized. And so, we expect justice, of course, to do diligence to identify them and to ensure that they have to answer for their actions and that they explain how, when they see a sentence “No to the racism “, they feel justified in assaulting people to the point of blood.