Eleven charged with murder aggravated by speech against ‘white race’ in France

Eleven defendants will face trial in France after being accused of killing a 16-year-old in 2023 while engaging in speech “against the white race and the French nation,” according to a judicial order seen by POLITICO. The death of Thomas Perotto in the village of Cr´epol quickly became a political flashpoint, with far-right figures like Eric Zemmour framing the incident as an example of the threat posed by immigrants. President Emmanuel Macron called it a “terrible assassination,” while far-right leader Marine Le Pen described the attack as the work of an “armed militia.” The killing later fueled far-right mobilization , including an attempted “punitive expedition” by identitarian militants in nearby Romans-sur-Isère.