Football fan shot dead after racist mob attack

[oberliner]

A French football fan was shot dead by a police officer after a mob of young white men, screaming anti-Semitic and racist insults, attacked a Hapoel Tel Aviv supporter outside the Parc des Princes in Paris late on Thursday night.

The plain clothes police officer, aged 32, was under arrest yesterday after shooting dead a 25-year-old man after a Uefa Cup game between Paris Saint Germain and Hapoel Tel Aviv.

Police and eye-witnesses said a mob of up to 300 white men chased a French Tel Aviv supporter after the game shouting "dirty Jew" and "fat Jew", making Nazi salutes and screaming "Le Pen president".

http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article2013261.ece

[psychopomp]

1. 300 on 1

I know skinheads are cowards but this is just ridiculous. A tragic end to an episode borne of stupidity.

[sugapablo]

15. You know, there's nothing a Pittsburgher hates more than a Browns fan...

But we just TAUNT them! Yeesh! We're even more than happy to drink with them after the Steelers whoop on them (making fun of them the entire time, of course).

Some people are just m*ther f*ckers....

[Jim Sagle]

2. The perps are not always Muslims. Contrary to what little green fucktards think.

[davidinalameda]

12. did the original article say anything about Muslims

couldn't get the link to work

[Jim Sagle]

14. No, it did not mention Muslims at all.

[JI7]

3. the cop shot the guy who was being attacked by a mob ?

[progdonkey]

5. no, one of the white supremacists....

Yeah, I was confused a little at first, since the opening paragraphs are pretty unclearly written, but when you read the article, it's clear that the dead guy was one of the members of the mob. The off duty cop came to the aid of the Jewish fan who was being chased, and the mob started beating up on the (black) cop. When he was on the ground he pulled out his gun and fired into the crowd of attackers, killing one.

Apparently he might be brought up on charges. Hopefully not, of course.

[JI7]

7. thanks, that's good to hear

i hope he isn't brought up for charges either.

[SlavesandBulldozers]

31. one less nazi.

one less gas station attendant.

it's not like we lost a cancer cure here.

(paraphrasing Hicks.)

[madrchsod]

4. the black officer was protecting himself and a jewish man

from being attacked and undoubtedly killed by a mob of neo nazis and he is being investigated for murder? sometimes i wonder.... do we here in the states know the extent of the neo nazi movement in our own towns and cities? the only good thing is that these "people" are not as organized nor as public as they are in Europe.

[krispos42]

8. Well, an investigation is SOP, I would think

I'd be pissed if he was fired, forced to resign, or brought up on charges, though.

[rockymountaindem]

6. Holy cow!

Things are just getting crazy all over the place. That cop should get a medal, not be brought up on charges.

[krispos42]

9. Here's a link to the CNN story

I couldn't get that British site to open.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/SPORT/football/11/24/france.shooting.reut/index.html

Prosecutor Jean-Claude Marin said a judicial investigation would be formally opened Saturday for "voluntary injury leading to unintentional death" but that the transport police officer, identified as Antoine Granomort, likely fired his gun in legitimate defense.

He was confronted with "a horde ... of extremely excited, extremely violent and extremely aggressive people," Marin said on France-Info radio.

<snip>

"They were shouting 'filthy Jew' and when they saw our colleague, who comes from the Caribbean, they also yelled, 'filthy black, we're going to get you," said Luc Poignant, a police union official.

The explosion of violence came after PSG suffered a shock 4-2 loss to their Tel Aviv opponents.

Police said the two men who were shot were members of PSG's far-right fan base that has a notorious violent and racist history.

<snip>

Interior Minister Sarkozy said some PSG fans shouted "Death to the Jew" as they attacked the Hapoel fan. The police officer responded with tear gas, but was knocked to the ground by a blow to the head and kick to the stomach, Sarkozy said.

He then drew his gun and opened fire.

"Two men fell to the ground, of which one died from his wounds, while the other suffered a lung injury," Sarkozy said.

<snip>

Overt racism has become increasingly common at PSG's Parc de Princes stadium, with insults and monkey chants often directed at black players.

Hooligan gangs also often look to fight black and Arab members of multiethnic rival gangs at the stadium during games.

Violence has affected other clubs. Marseille will host Auxerre in an empty stadium on January 24, after a firefighter lost two fingers picking up an explosive that a fan threw on the field on October 29.

[oberliner]

10. French President Condemns Soccer Death

PARIS Nov 24, 2006 (AP)— French President Jacques Chirac on Friday condemned the violence that resulted in a shooting death after 100 Paris Saint-Germain fans attacked a supporter of an Israeli club on the previous day.

Police said a plainclothes officer shot at the PSG fans killing a man and wounding another when he went to the aid of a Hapoel Tel Aviv fan after a UEFA Cup match late Thursday.

The prosecutor's office identified the dead man as 24-year-old Julien Quemener.

The officer, Antoine Granomort, was being held in custody Friday.

"They were shouting 'filthy Jew' and when they saw our colleague, who comes from the Caribbean, they also yelled, 'filthy black, we're going to get you," said a police union official, Luc Poignant.

http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory?id=2677308

[951-Riverside]

11. This is a very sad day for the white nationalist/white power movement

HAHAHAHAHA! :rofl:

I hope that racist piece of shit suffered before he died.

There is still justice in the world.

[T_i_B]

13. Attacked black policeman kills football thug

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/11/25/wparis25.xml

The growing menace of racism in France was laid bare yesterday after a black policeman shot dead a white football fan as an anti-Semitic gang attacked a Jewish football supporter.

The plain-clothed officer, of Afro-Caribbean descent, had been set upon by a gang of Paris St Germain supporters as he tried to rescue an Israeli fan outside the Parc des Princes late on Thursday. The attack followed PSG's Uefa Cup 4-2 defeat against the Israeli team Hapoel Tev Aviv, during which hooligans had chanted a tirade of racist and anti-Semitic slogans.

Nicolas Sarkozy, the interior minister and presidential hopeful noted for his hard-line law and order policies, said the officer had been trying to rescue an Israeli supporter confronted by the 150-strong mob shouting "death to the Jew". The officer was, in turn, attacked by the hooligans, many also shouting slogans including "France for the French". They also called the officer a "filthy black".

The officer fled inside a McDonald's restaurant and tried to disperse his attackers with a tear gas canister. But when they kept coming at him, the officer opened fire with his pistol. One youth, in his 20s, died instantly while another was seriously injured.

[JNelson6563]

16. So much for enlightenment!

What a sickening situation. I think the cop is a hero and I am so glad he and the original mob victim made it out alive.

Julie

[brentspeak]

17. Only in France would a cop be arrested for shooting to protect himself

[Swede]

18. Let's hope we can all follow their example.

The thin blue line has to protect us,but it also has to be thoroughly investigated in cases where someone gets shot.

[NorthernSpy]

25. Oh, please! They're not just investigating -- they've taken the officer into custody!

In my state, all shootings by police are automatically referred to the State Attorney General for investigation. But we don't have the officers involved jailed during the investigation -- not unless there's evidence that they've actually committed an arrestable offense.

This officer saved the victim's life -- and now they're treating him like a criminal!

What's next? They arrest the victim too?

[ronnie624]

38. It appears very unlikely

this officer will be charged with a crime. I certainly hope he will not be charged.

From the CNN article:

Prosecutor Jean-Claude Marin said a judicial investigation would be formally opened Saturday for "voluntary injury leading to unintentional death" but that the transport police officer, identified as Antoine Granomort, likely fired his gun in legitimate defense.

Perhaps the officer's arrest was part of some formality required by French law. Surely he was promptly released.

I would never desire to be contentious with one of my favorite posters, (I'll never forget your excellent defense of the NO victims of Katrina, against the slanderous rumors being perpetuated by the corporate broadcast media) but I must agree with Swede; the shooting of a citizen by a police officer should be taken very seriously, and receive a thorough investigation, even when the outcome is seemingly obvious.

[Katzenjammer]

19. I bet seeing two of their number shot gave the rest religion on the spot

I'm sure they felt going in that they were going to be able to enjoy a little free viciousness at the expense of their victim. Having one of their victims not only fight back but shoot one of their buddies dead probably dampened their enjoyment quite a bit.

I hope the cop gets a medal and promotion. That was a beautiful, textbook-perfect response.

[Eric J in MN]

20. It took incredible bravery for one cop to try to protect a man from...

...a mob of 300 people.

[Threedifferentones]

21. Indeed,

and incredible ignorance and rage for the mob to begin in the first place. For once a "happy" ending.

[Lurking Dem]

22. From wiki:

On May 24, 2001, six supporters of French club Paris St. Germain attacked Galatasaray supporters before a Champions League match. The six, who are members of an official PSG fan club, were charged with assault, carrying weapons, throwing missiles on the pitch, and racism-related charges. The investigation, led by Parisian judge Jean-Batpiste Parlos, alleged that the six had deliberately entered the part of the Parc des Princes stadium where French supporters of Turkish origin were standing, in order to attack them. Fifty people were injured during a melee between Turkish and French fans at a match between Turkish club Galatasaray and Paris Saint-Germain of France. Footage from surveillance cameras at Parc des Princes stadium helped investigators to identify the fans involved in the violence, the sources said.<18><19>

Security, media and the club administration of Paris St. Germain were reported as attempting to cover this up, and made accusations including that the Turkish supporters at the match — despite being overwhelmingly outnumbered — were able to inflict large numbers of casualties upon the French supporters while taking on only one casualty themselves. It was later reported that stadium security allowed French supporters to carry in staves, while confiscating flags from Turkish supporters — apparently in an attempt to allow armed French supporters to attack Turkish supporters.<18><19>

Interviews with gang members, and repeated visits to the stadium for PSG games, found that racist hooligans operate openly and with almost total impunity at the 43,000-seat grounds. That stadium hosted some matches during the 1998 World Cup, which France won with a team dominated by players from former colonies in Africa.<20>

Before a home game against Sochaux on January 4, 2006, two Arab youths were punched and kicked by white fans outside the entrance to the Kop de Boulogne. Ushers, all white, stood chatting and did not intervene. On March 7, 2006, a Paris court convicted three PSG supporters for unfurling a racist banner at a February 2005 match.<20>

PSG’s hooligan problem seriously escalated against the backdrop of the club’s success in Europe in the 1990s. The club reached the 1995 Champions League semifinals, won the European Cup Winners Cup in 1996, and lost the final the following year. PSG hooligans made their mark by brawling with opposing hooligans from Juventus, Arsenal, Anderlecht, Glasgow Rangers, Liverpool and Bayern Munich. In September 2004, a 150-strong PSG mob attacked around 50 Chelsea hooligans (known as the Headhunters) near Porte de Saint-Cloud Metro station.

[badgerpup]

41. Warning: Flip, sarcastic and disgusted mini-rant follows.

Why bother with the organized clubs, teams and leagues?

Just put their respective fans together in the arena or ballpark or stadium and film THAT!
Hoo-boy, now THERE'S some serious red-meat entertainment...fur, blood, and limbs a-flyin'...
and they don't even expect to be paid!

Adds a little Clorox to the gene pool as well. Talk about win/win!
:rant: :sarcasm:

[Lurking Dem]

43. I was half wondering

if there was some kind of international id we could insist they carry that would disallow the purchase of beer. Seems to add fuel to their bellicosity.

[jwirr]

23. Looks to me as if France and other EU countries have a little

cleaning up to do. We are not the only ones who are once again being troubled by right wing idiots.

[BayCityProgressive]

24. France is turning into a real hell hole

Their economy is shit, their unemployment is high..the racist tension there between muslims and whites is continuing to escalate, as the violence over the last year has shown, and anti-semitism is getting REALLY bad there. Their right wing political parties are insane. A girl in one of my classes studied abroad in France for 6 months and she said that so many anti-arab comments and stories were made that by the time she left she was even beginning to look at Arabs differently.

[thingfisher]

28. Perhaps the western powers

are reapong the whirlwind after sowing the wind of colonialism for so many decades. Nations have traditionally been defined by the over all sameness of their populations, like language, race, religion, etc. In our brave new world the nations of the world are required to accommodate large numbers of immigrants who do not share the traditional traits of the native population (as we in America are also experienceing). It is natural for people to mingle with those who are like them and so we have societies where equality is preached but separateness is practiced.

Add to this economic tension, unemployment, fear of terrorism, etc. and we have the makings for social disorder big time. Such chaos has historically been the breeding groun for demagogues and extremeism.

We live in perilous times.

[La_Fourmi_Rouge]

36. Some of this is true, some not so much...

The economy is having much difficulty, and unemployment is high. the tension, however, exists not so much between races as between the haves and the have-nots.

BE CAREFUL with the terms you use. The immigrants who are at the crux of La Republique's problems are mostly of North African descent - first generation Algerian kids just coming of age, Tunisian and Moroccan, some Libyan, and also those from Senegal, Mali, Cote d'Ivoire and other sub- and western- Sahara cultures. The point is, these kids are mostly SECULAR!!! They profess no religion, or only have a vestigial connection with the religion of their fathers and mothers. "Muslim youth" is a misnomer, mischaracterizes the people to whom you refer. Their religion, if it can be called such, is Reggae, Rap, and Hip-Hop.

The skinheads are the same in any country - scared silly, not too bright, with tremendous anger and resentment at their lot in life, much like the people they so much hate. If they had a shred of wisdom, they would understand that the true battle is not race against race or religious sect against religious sect, but rich against poor.

What France suffers right now is the weak dollar and colonial blowback. And Chirac.

[goclark]

26. Sick to the Core ~

Surreal.

[oblivious]

27. The headline is rather easy on the nazi thug: "Football fan"?

[Miss Chybil]

29. And they arrested the cop who was trying to save the Jewish fan

and himself after the mob started calling him (the cop) "dirty black," making monkey noises at him and knocking him to the ground? They arrested him after he first tried to fend off the mob with tear gas, then had to use his weapon? Absolutely fucking ridiculous. And here I was thinking of moving to France... but, I suppose they wouldn't want me, or my black husband there, anyway. France for the French? They can keep it.

[goclark]

30. Miss Chybil

I do understand how you feel.

People are so angry and just feeling so frustrated they want to make sure they have more power than someone else.

This entire incident was shameful.

[La_Fourmi_Rouge]

37. The skinheads are a tiny minority.

Miss Chybil, you and your husband would be most welcome in France!

Frankly, the country is far less racist than you apparently think. It is very multicultural, in a manner richly rewarding on many levels, and for more than a century has been a haven for American blacks to find refuge from the depredations of racism in the good ol' USA (c.f. Sidney Bechet, Dexter Gordon, James Meredith... et al).

In Lyon, when the National Front stages a manifestation at Place des Jacobins or wherever, the group "Militant Anti-Fascist League" meets them with baseball bats and other weapons and attacks them until the police throw everyone in jail. The answer to these punks is a short, bloody "NO!" to the head, nose or balls.

If I had to choose a country USA or France strictly on the basis of race relations it would be France, hands down, no contest.

[Miss Chybil]

42. This is what I have always believed, but this incident is so shocking

in that the police officer was arrested and the mob is being referred to as "football fans." I'm sure it probably is an isolated incident, but it really took me by surprise. Thank you for clarifying the overall picture for me.

[SlavesandBulldozers]

32. French Nazis

i suppose they aren't armed with the typical European sense of irony.

[oberliner]

33. Update: Football death: Policeman uncharged

Football death: Policeman uncharged

Prosecutors in France have decided against charging a black policeman who shot dead a football fan while he protected a Jewish man from a racist mob.

The Paris state prosecutor did refer Antoine Granomort, 32, to a judge for questioning after he shot and killed Julien Quemener, 25, who he part of a 100 strong crowd of PSG fans who had hurled racist abuse and chased Granomort, who was in plain clothes and the man he was protecting Yanniv Hazout.


http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/A068002E-089F-470A-B815-0DC63E4B5482.htm

[SlavesandBulldozers]

34. good. now its time for a medal

for ridding the world of a violent skinhead in defense of a helpless victim. the man's a hero. he showed restraint even, it's a shame he didnt empty that magazine really.

[LisaL]

35. Good. It sounds like a clear case of self-defense.

[Behind the Aegis]

40. GREAT NEWS!

Merci Beaucoup to the brave officer willing to protect Jews!!!!!

[Recursion]

39. So a cop shoots somebody, is suspended and investigated rather than automatically praised?

Mon dieu... we should get some of that over here in the US!