France – LJR-JR: 7 Years Later, Open Wounds and Contested Justice
We hereby share an unofficial translation of a statement issued by the National Bureau of the Ligue de la Jeunesse Révolutionnaire (LJR) and Jeunes Révolutionnaires (JR).
Paris 25th of February
Proletarians of all countries, unite!
The 1st of December was one of the most insurrectionary days of the Yellow Vests movement. Hundreds of thousands of workers launched an assault on the bourgeoisie and its institutions throughout the country and in the colonies of French imperialism. More than 130 protesters were reported injured during the day, including at least two who were blinded and two who had their hands mutilated. At least 260 were arrested. The case, which had been dismissed several times, finally found its way to court thanks to the mobilization of the victims and internal contradictions within the judicial system.
Many former Yellow Vests followed the proceedings of this hearing closely, particularly because some of our comrades have been in contact with the victims for years. Thanks to investigations by journalists and militants, we learned in 2020 that the person who ordered this attack, who remained near the Burger King, was divisional commander Dominique Caffin, known as “GO-CRS,” who maimed at least one of our comrades during a Yellow Vest protest in Paris. He was acquitted and congratulated by the courts for this act following a trial in December 2021. However, an appeal may still take place.
The commander attended the hearing on Monday 9th of February’s morning accompanied by Eric Davoine, commander of CRS 83, and other senior police and gendarmerie commanders. Their presence outside the courtroom and during the hearing, in uniform, was intended to support their troops but also to monitor their statements and maintain the code of silence regarding State violence.
The CRS’s lawyer is Laurent-Franck Liénard, a long-standing police lawyer and far-right militant. His company also offers training to police officers prior to prosecution to teach them the best strategies for injuring or killing without having to face justice afterwards, as well as training in interrogation and police custody. As usual, the police officers chose to shift the responsibility for their actions onto certain “bad orders” from higher ranks. This strategy is all the easier because they know that their superiors are untouchable. Their lawyer emphasized the insurrectionary nature of the day, a staple of the yellow vest hearings, a strategy that has already proven successful for them in court.
Without expecting anything from bourgeois justice, we emphasize that the prosecutor’s demands are particularly weak given the seriousness of the facts and the extent of the physical and psychological trauma inflicted on our yellow vest comrades. From 6 to 20 months suspended sentences. We have no illusions about the outcome of this trial, the ruling of which will be handed down on March 17 at the Clichy District Court. Although we admire the determination and perseverance of our comrades in seeking truth and justice in this case, we are all too familiar with the intransigence of the State and its justice system and its ability to organize impunity for its watchdogs.
Justice for the Yellow Vests!
Justice for the injured, crippled and the murdered by the police!
Class justice!
The French State is not our State, all the power to the proletariat!
National Bureau of the Ligue de la Jeunesse Révolutionnaire and Jeunes Révolutionnaires
