Montpellier Teenager’s Death: Family Urges Calm as Community Tensions Ease

The most pressing call came from the family of the young boy who was killed. "We call for the greatest calm and express our trust in the institutions of the Republic, the police and the justice system, so that the perpetrator of the facts is arrested and tried," they wrote in a statement on Thursday. "I make a solemn appeal for the young people to trust justice and let it do its work," also supports Abdallah Zekri, Abdallah Zekri, general delegate of the French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM), reports Le Figaro.

While also calling for calm, the Gypsy community has asked the perpetrator "to report to the police station" to answer for his act. "I have exchanged with the Maghrebi community, we have established a real dialogue," assures Fernand Maraval, spokesperson for the sedentary Gypsy community of Montpellier. According to him, before this tragedy, the two communities were leading "a relationship of trust" which is unfortunately undermined by the recklessness of the young people.

On Friday, during the City Council meeting, Montpellier mayor Michaël Delafosse (PS) asked that "life resume its rights, but with dignity" and that everyone be "by the side of Aymen’s family in thought". The Hérault prefecture has warned against "hateful speech" and "private acts of violence", before reassuring about the progress of the investigation.

As for the residents of the Mosson district, they implore the return to calm and the good coexistence that existed before this tragic event. According to the latest news, the driver who caused Aymen’s death has been identified, and the searches and investigations continue to arrest him.