Students attacked in Aix-en-Provence

On October 10 in Aix-en-Provence, three students were subjected to violence and targeted with racist insults. According to one report, militants from radical far-right groups known to the justice system were identified in videos.

Victims describe the assault

One of the victims, Samy, a student at the Aix-en-Provence campus, described being punched in the temple and then kicked while on the ground. Another victim, Yonas, recounted being hit in the face with a can of soda by a woman who was ten centimeters from his face.

Witness accounts and footage

Laurie, a witness who may have intervened, confirmed the students were beaten for no reason on the street. One of the students managed to film the attackers, who included at least eight individuals, including faces well known to the Maquis and the Jeunes d'Oc, two violent far-right groups, heirs of Génération identitaire.

Maquis denies involvement

The Maquis confirmed its presence at the location but claimed the violence was the work of another group, stating that it "separated the belligerents" and that "no threats or insults" were uttered by its members. Earlier in the day, the group was present to disrupt an anti-fascist demonstration in the city center.

Far-right figures identified

In videos posted on social media, at least three former militants of the Bloc montpelliérain - a neo-fascist group now dissolved - were present, including Louis Delavault and a certain Tom C. In September, the two men were seen alongside the militants of Tenesoun, a neo-fascist gang from Aix-en-Provence - also present on October 10.

Statements from the Maquis

A spokesperson for the Maquis, Paul Goudard, stated, "The CRS can disperse us, but we will regroup elsewhere. We will hold the city today." This interview comes from a report by Occidentis - a small media outlet that belongs to the Artefakt company, whose founder and director is Erik Tegnér, also the publisher of the far-right newspaper Frontières.

Testimonies of the attack

According to testimonies, Paul Goudard and his group went into town, looking for participants in the demonstration. Yonas testified that they were first called "leftists" and one of them said, "Go hide behind the CRS." Samy, who was not at the anti-fascist event, did not understand what the comment meant.

Legal history of the group

Legal records show that the Maquis denies any violence, but the members present and identified by StreetPress on October 10 have already been involved in legal matters. Romain Fornasier, a former member of the Génération identitaire group, was convicted in 2022 for "racial hate incitement."

Other legal cases

Hugo Huyart, a leader of the Maquis, was found guilty in 2025 of the physical and verbal aggression of a father and his daughter as they left a bar in Avignon. During the trial, the victims reported a bottle hit as well as racist remarks.

Paul Goudard's past

Paul Goudard has also been convicted on appeal for violently entering the offices of the NGO SOS Méditerranée in Marseille. The activist also appeared before the Toulon court in October 2025 with three other members of the Maquis for "racist intentional violence" against two high school students hit with stones, kicks, and punches on a beach in the city.

Unresolved case

A case without a conclusion: despite some elements - the analysis of phone lines allowed proving the presence of the accused at the scene of the crime - the case was not judged, the court having accepted the nullity of the procedure, requested by the defense lawyers.

Other identified aggressors

Among the people identified by the victims as aggressors, there is also Anthony Ilhat, a Montpelliérain and computer developer. The man, under the pseudonym Anthony Lacoste, is the spokesperson for a small organization from the Hérault region close to the Maquis, the Jeunes d'Oc.

Witnesses describe the chase

Yonas remembers: "When I managed to get up and run away, he was chasing me yelling, 'I will kill you.'" "He was one of the first to hit me," asserts Samy, who would have seen the man at the police station when he "went to file a complaint the next day."

Investigation and denials

A preliminary investigation has been opened, and several identitarians have been placed under custody after the attack. On the other hand, the Maquis denies the facts and states that its members "are innocent." The group threatens with a lawsuit against "any defamation or attempt to hold our militants responsible for this attack."

Doubts about the legal response

A response that contradicts the six testimonies collected by StreetPress. Samy, who arrived in Aix just over a year ago, still has his hearing by the judicial police officer in his throat: "I felt like I was being interrogated."

Lack of progress in the case

When he mentions racist insults, the police officer would have replied: "It's not certain that it was racism. When people look at you, it's not necessarily obvious that you are Arab." Samy and Laurie doubt the follow-up given to this case. The latter, a witness to the attack, is also a lawyer. She accompanied one of the three victims in filing a complaint. "Why not open an investigation on the spot? The conditions were met for this procedure that allows for a quick legal response. I know this type of file in preliminary investigation: they put them in a corner and do not reopen them."