Three Black migrants in their twenties have been convicted and sentenced after launching a racially charged attack on White French residents celebrating Neighbours’ Day in Tarbes.
During their arrest, one of the attackers shouted, “Dirty Whites, we are going to come and colonize you and rape your women.”
The attack took place on Sunday, May 25, when a gang of five drunken migrants approached a small barbecue being held by local residents in the courtyard of their building. When the residents made it clear the unfamiliar group was not welcome, the men became aggressive and violent.
One young man from the neighborhood was struck repeatedly, and one of the attackers pulled a knife, threatening the gathering.
The three main perpetrators fled as police arrived. One was found hiding behind a car and was discovered to have earlier removed his electronic ankle tag, violating the terms of his house arrest. His disappearance had already triggered a police alert. Officers also found an Opinel knife on him.
Two other men were located and apprehended minutes later on nearby streets. During processing at the police station, one of them verbally assaulted a municipal officer. “Your words shocked me deeply,” the presiding judge stated during the trial, before reading aloud the man’s threats: “Dirty Whites, we are going to come and colonize you and rape your women.”
This defendant, originally from Mayotte, claimed to have no memory of the incident due to heavy alcohol consumption. The same defense was used by the man already known to authorities. A third attacker admitted to striking a resident, but insisted he had been provoked — a claim refuted by both the victim and his partner, who testified that the men were visibly drunk and possibly on drugs.
All three were brought before the Tarbes Criminal Court on May 28. The presiding judge read the racist statements aloud in court and condemned the behavior. The prosecutor called for significant custodial sentences, noting the men’s prior records of violence.
The man who had removed his ankle monitor was sentenced to 12 months in prison. The other two received lesser sentences: One was handed six months in prison, convertible to house arrest with electronic surveillance, and the other eight months, suspended.