Judicial requalification

On 20 July 2026, the investigating judge handling the Crépol murder case added the aggravating circumstance of racism to the charges against 14 suspects. The judge concluded that the victims were targeted because of their presumed membership of "the white race and the French nation." The decision followed submissions from several civil parties who argued that witness accounts of anti-white slurs had been overlooked. The public prosecutor's June 2026 indictment had not included a racial motive, but the investigating judge chose to incorporate it at the end of the inquiry.

Witness accounts

From the earliest stages of the investigation, witnesses reported hearing racist remarks. The Valence prosecutor stated in November 2023 that 9 of the 104 people interviewed heard comments hostile to whites. BFMTV later reported that around a dozen testimonies, and according to some sources up to 14, contained racist and anti-white statements. The most cited phrase was "On va planter du blanc" ("We're going to stab whites"), which several witnesses say they heard during the violence.

“Certains témoins disent notamment avoir entendu 'on est là pour planter des Blancs'.”

Political reactions

The requalification prompted swift reactions from right-wing figures who had long pointed to the case as evidence of anti-white racism. Laurent Wauquiez, leader of the Les Républicains group in the National Assembly, wrote on X that "racism against the French exists and must be fought." The far-right Rassemblement National also welcomed the decision. Since the murder in November 2023, the right and far-right have used the case to denounce what they describe as rising insecurity in rural areas caused by youths from sensitive urban suburbs.

“Pendant des mois, certains ont fermé les yeux. La justice rappelle aujourd'hui une vérité: le racisme anti-Français existe et doit être combattu. Justice pour Thomas.”

Background of the attack

Thomas Perotto, a 16-year-old rugby enthusiast, was fatally stabbed on the night of 18-19 November 2023 at the "bal de l'hiver" in Crépol, a village in the Drôme. A group of young men, some from the La Monnaie district of Romans-sur-Isère, clashed with local youths. In a confused sequence, knives were drawn and four people were wounded; Thomas died while being transported to hospital. Fourteen young men were subsequently indicted for murder and attempted murder in an organized gang. None has admitted to delivering the fatal blow.

Mayor's response

Marie-Hélène Thoroval, the centre-right mayor of Romans-sur-Isère, welcomed the requalification. Speaking on CNews on 24 July, she said that "the victims' voice has been heard." She noted that victims had expressed themselves during hearings and to elected officials and government authorities, but had not been listened to until now. Thoroval had previously described the attack as "anti-white racism" and, in January 2025, stated on the same channel that the perpetrators were not "Français de souche" and had origins "more linked with Islam," comments that sparked controversy.

“La parole des victimes a été entendue.”