A non white criminal hangs himself in police custody and all of France must now pay. True to form the gutless French Interior Ministry has issued orders to the prefects not tocommunicate to the media the crime statistics for the nights of July13-15. — Ed
Around 200 riot police were deployed into the early hours onThursday in the south eastern French town of Firminy, after a secondnight of rioting sparked by the death of a 21-year old man in policecustody.
Groups of young people set fire to rubbish bins, burned cars anddestroyed a social centre on Wednesday night following the deathearlier in the day of Mohamed Benmouna, a local man arrested forattempted extortion.
Benmouna died after falling onto a coma following what police saidwas a suicide attempt. An autopsy on Thursday confirmed Benmouna’sdeath was due to suffocation.
“His body does not show any trace of violence,” Jacques Pin, thestate prosecutor in Saint-Etienne, the nearest major city, told Reuters.
Benmouna’s family have expressed scepticism over the explanation bypolice who said he had used cords from a mattress to hang himself.
Pin rejected suggestions of police abuse but said video surveillanceequipment that would normally have filmed Benmouna’s cell was notfunctioning properly.
An inquiry into the case has been opened by the IGPN, the police inspectorate.
Nine people were arrested on Wednesday after a night of violence onTuesday evening when Benmouna was still alive but in a coma followingthe incident.
