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Parisian investigators have obtained video footage of activist's murder

Clement Meric

By Dan Littauer | PARIS-- Investigators in the attack that left gay rights and anti-fascist activist Clement Meric, 18, dead after a brutal attack June 5, have obtained a CCTV video showing the moment Meric was attacked by skinheads in Paris.

Police investigators had said that it was initially believed there were no CCTV images of the attack, but now acknowledge that a street surveillance camera managed to capture the fatal clash.

The teenager was killed after an argument broke out when a group of left-wing activists met a gang of right-wing extremists. The confrontation escalated and Meric was punched unconscious, he was later pronounced dead the following day.

According to a police source, the video shows Meric confronting his attacker. The attacker then turns and throws a punch, striking Meric in the face which knocked him unconscious. The source, speaking on the condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak on the matter, said Meric immediately fell to the ground and the video also shows Meric being kicked by several youths.

Esteban Morillo, in his 20s, was arrested in the aftermath of the fight along with four other skinheads including a 32-year-old woman.

Agnes Thibault-Lecuivre, spokeswoman for the Paris prosecutor’s office, said that Morillo will likely face manslaughter charges.

A vigil for Meric was attended by thousands of people two weeks ago.

French Interior Minister Manuel Valls has vowed to eradicate this kind of violence, which bears the mark of the extreme right.

“There is a discourse of hate and a climate that favors this discourse. We need to pay attention to this, because they threaten our values.”