Residents in Rillieux-la-Pape, near Lyon, have witnessed unprecedented violence when a group of young black-clad men, using hoodies to cover their faces, set some dozen vehicles ablaze in several locations across town. They burned down five cars on Avenue de General-Leclerc and at least another one on Rue Mont-Blanc, setting more than ten vehicles on fire in total.
One car set alight was parked in front of the church of Saint-Pierre-Chanel and the flames spread to the church building, causing considerable material damage. The youngsters caused even more destruction when they began hurling metal tins and stones at the firefighters near the scene and vandalised several bus stops. At first the firefighters retreated to avoid injuries, but police eventually managed to subdue the assailants without causing or suffering any injuries, according to the local Le Progres newspaper. The act of vandalism has triggered general schockwaves and the Diocese of Lyon used its Twitter account to express its regrets over the incident. It also assured the members of the local Christian community and the district’s residents of continued its support.
The destruction and attack on firefighters was also condemned by local representative Antoine Pin, who shared an imageof a burning car and the charred walls of the church on Twitter.
Deeply shocked and outraged, Mayor Alexandre Vincendet issued a statement in which he described this “clearly deliberate act of vandalism” as appalling, and declared it a separatist attack. He also wrote that footage from surveillance cameras showed ten perpetrators dressed in black hoodies, adding that neither the town, nor the French republic would ever back down.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin also responded to the incident on Twitter. He said the attack on the church was intolerable and he expressed his support to the firefighters and Catholic believers. He also announced that he would pay a personal visit to inspect the scene.
This, however, is not the first such crime witnessed by the town. During a similar incident in August 2019, unknown perpetrators set fire to several cars at different locations of the town. One of their attacks was filmed and shared online.
