On 5 June 2013, Clément Méric, an 18-year-old student and anti-fascist activist, collapsed on the pavement in Paris during a brief violent brawl between far-left activists and far-right skinheads on the sidelines of a private clothing sale.
Esteban Morillo, 28, who admitted being the author of the fatal blows but pleaded self-defence, was sentenced to eight years in prison on Friday, compared to 11 at the first ruling in 2018.
Samuel Dufour, 27, was sentenced to five years. The two men were found guilty of deliberate violence leading to death without intent to kill, and welcomed the verdict calmly.
"The truth has been repeated this evening," said Cosima Ouhioun, the lawyer for the Méric family.
"Clément Méric was the victim of an attack with brass knuckles, but also by a violent ideology that has been a poison for both the defendants and the victims," he said.
Morillo's lawyer acknowledged "a lighter sentence" but deplored "a very bitter decision (...) difficult to understand in terms of the truth".
For him, "the political passions on the other side, the media pressure and above all the ideological pressure of those who had already attacked them were too strong".
For Samuel Dufour's lawyer, Grégoire Etrillard, "this is a case in which our clients defended themselves from an external aggression, but it was undoubtedly too difficult for the court and the jurors to tell the truth in this trial which was so symbolic.
Several unions have joined the calls for an anti-fascism demonstration in Paris on Saturday afternoon, alongside the Méric family's support group Comité pour Clément.
Il y a 8 ans, #ClémentMéric, militant antifasciste et syndical, était assassiné par des militants néonazis, en plein Paris. Depuis mardi 25 mai se tient à Evry le procès en appel de ses meurtriers, condamnés en première instance. Celui-ci se terminera vendredi 4 juin. pic.twitter.com/4UOS7NLslt
— Solidaires Paris (@SolidairesParis) June 2, 2021
(with AFP)
