An alleged vigilante group armed with zip ties is allegedly roving France in search of rioters to apprehend – or so we are told. According to local mayors, no such vigilante group exists – but people who think they see one are encouraged to call local police to report any incidents they witness.
Witnesses claim to have seen an anti-thug brigade, described as a "brigade anticasseur" in French, going around tying up rioters in the port town of Lorlent, Brittany. The incident was reported on by local newspaper Le Télégramme.
The media outlet, citing claims made by said witnesses, reported that a group of between 20 and 30 "young, hooded men" wearing balaclavas and gloves was seen performing unofficial arrests in Lorlent, Brittany, without the presence of actual police officers.
"Using zip-ties to restrain alleged rioters, the men are said to have then handed their captures onto the regular police on Friday night as well as having been seen putting out fires," another report explains, citing a different French media outlet that reported much the same thing.
"Described as strongly physically built, fast-moving, and proceeding in a tightly-packed group, a report in Ouest France says one member of the group told a journalist that he couldn't reveal their identities but that 'we are on the good side' and that the group was a spontaneous meeting of friends to protect the city-centre."
(Related: Check out our earlier coverage to learn more about the unrest that is said to be spreading across France in response to a police shooting incident.)
When authorities lose the plot, vigilante justice increasingly fills the void
On the night when the nationwide riots began prior to Independence Day in the United States, French authorities deployed some 45,000 police officers to try to keep the peace. Those efforts were unsuccessful in preventing the torching and destruction of one of France's oldest historical public libraries in Marseille.
In an attempt to help police, these alleged vigilantes are going around trying to apprehend the rioters, including in another town where a local business was vandalized. Using a "visibly well-honed technique," including punching rioters in the face, if necessary, the movement has been making waves throughout the media for its efforts to restore peace in France.
French police say they have no idea who the vigilantes are, but welcome their assistance in bringing the perpetrators to justice. One officer told Le Télégramme that he and his fellow officers "let it happen at the start of the evening because it relieved us," referring to the vigilantes who were seen zip-tying the hands of criminals in a similar way to handcuffs.
Two members of the vigilante group reportedly spoke with J'aime Radio, revealing on the condition of anonymity that the original plan was simply to stand side-by-side with police forces while not actually getting involved. That plan changed once the group observed how few officers there are compared to the large number of rioters roving the streets of France committing acts of terrorism.
When asked by the radio station if they have any "far-right" connections, one of the members, a woman, said "no, we are just people who want to save France because France is going to ruin."
This same woman went on to reveal that her group's belief is that the killing of an Algerian-heritage "teen" by a French police officer last week is simply an excuse, much like the George Floyd psy-op was, for "youths" to go on rioting and looting sprees.
"We are patriots who love France," remarked another member, a man, to J'aime Radio.
More of the latest news about the situation on the ground in France can be found at Chaos.news.
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