• Home /
• Statewatch Database /
• France: Another FN murder

France: Another FN murder

01 May 1995

The Front National's (FN) presidential election campaign ended as it began: with the murder of a young migrant. In Marseilles in February a young African was shot dead by FN members who were flyposting (see Statewatch 5:2), and on May 1, in Paris, a 29-year old homeless Moroccan, Brahim Bourram, was thrown into the River Seine by skinheads taking part in a FN demonstration in support of their leader and presidential election candidate, Jean Marie Le Pen. Eyewitnesses said that they saw a group of skinheads break away from the back of the FN march to attack Brahim and then throw him into the Seine, where he drowned. The murderers then rejoined the march. Within 48 hours of Brahim's murder 30,000 people, chanting "Le Pen, assassin, marched through Paris in protest at the killing. Le Pen's response was to deny that the FN were involved and, incredibly, he claimed that there was a plot against his party and that communists disguised as skinheads might have been responsible. His protestations of innocence are exposed as a lie when one looks at the violent history of the FN. Concerning recent events, three FN members are in jail in Marseille for the killing of Ibrahim Ali in February. During March Le Pen's son in law, Samuel Marechal, and another FN member were given suspended sentences for an attack, with baseball bats and tear gas, on a group of students. In April two FN members were arrested for beating up a man in an eastern district of Paris. Despite the violence of his campaign Le Pen still attained his best result, winning almost 5 million votes (15%). His support came largely from groups such as shop-keepers, the self-employed, manual workers and the unemployed. Le Monde 24.4.95, 4.5.95; Militant 12.5.95; Guardian 17.4.95.