More than 1,000 people marched through the streets of Narbonne, France, over the weekend to honor 17-year-old Louis, who died after being brutally beaten by a gang of men in an attack that sparked global attention.
According to L’Independent, roughly 1,300 people participated in the memorial march, which began at Narbonne City Hall and proceeded to the site of the attack. Demonstrators carried French flags and signs reading “Justice for Louis.”
Louis died after being attacked by a group of teenagers who filmed the assault and posted it on social media. The group was seen repeatedly punching, kicking, and stomping on Louis until he lost consciousness.
The teen was transported to a hospital, where he was placed into a medically induced coma. He later died from his injuries.
At the time of his attack, Louis was under the care of France’s child protective services.
The perpetrators, five men between the ages of 16 and 19, were all arrested. Police were able to track them down quickly due to the recording and subsequent posting of the attack. According to a report by The Sun, Louis had a history with the gang, and they frequently attacked him.
“All were local boys, and well known to the police for delinquency and other problems,” a source told the outlet. “Louis knew them too, mainly through child welfare homes, and programmes run by the authorities. Last Friday, the gang lured Louis to a building site in Narbonne, and a barbaric beating to death followed.
Former French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau condemned the killing, calling the violence “unbearable” and “nauseating.”
“I first think of his loved ones who will have to live with this immense grief. Once again, several of those charged are minors,” he said.
“We can no longer pretend that this barbarization is just a string of isolated incidents,” Retailleau declared. “The French people demand that things change – I want to give them back their voice through a referendum to toughen our criminal justice system.”
