Chechen Diaspora in France condemns brawl in Saint-Dizier

The natives from Chechnya, who were plotting revenge for their fellow countryman in Saint-Dizier, revealed excessive cohesion; after the new incident, French authorities will certainly limit the provision of asylum, the members of the Chechen Diaspora interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" believe.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on August 14, in the French city of Saint-Dizier, law enforcers detained 16 natives of Chechnya. Three of those kept knives, baseball bats and a sabre in their cars, Gérald Darmanin, the head of the French Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) has informed.

Shamil Albakov, the press secretary of the Assembly of Chechens in Europe, who participated in the settlement of the conflict in Saint-Dizier, told the details of the incident. "First, there was a conflict between an Ingush and a black resident of Saint-Dizier. The latter couldn't cope, and his several comrades came to his aid and surreptitiously hit the Ingush on the head with an iron object from behind. They 'knocked him out' and left him on the ground. Policemen who patrolled the area, saw him and took him to hospital," Mr Albakov said.

"An appeal appeared in social networks: 'They've beaten out guy; we'd go and help.' And cars rushed there from all cities. The first car, which was driving from the nearest city, was detained. In total, 16 people were detained," Shamil Albakov has noted.

Three rioters remain under arrest, Albakov has added. "As for the detainees, two are Ingushes and one is a Chechen; they are at the SIZO (pre-trial prison). A long knife and baseball bats were seized from them," he has stated.

“I think the minister knew that the conflict broke out because of a scuffle with the Ingush, not a Chechen. But since Chechens also came there, and [a Chechen was] detained with a knife, that's enough. If the Chechens don't stop mobilizing like that on every occasion, this will not change the attitude of French politicians towards Chechens," said Djambulat Suleimanov, the head of the "Bart-Marsho" Chechen Association in Paris.

Although the words of the head of the French MIA were addressed to the participants in the incident, French authorities will most likely start refusing to grant asylum to many members of the Chechen Diaspora, said Marie-Noel Pan, a volunteer for the French association "Asylum for Russians".

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on August 20, 2020 at 06:31 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.