Rouen prosecutor's office opens investigation over video of far-right violence after nationwide protests

The Rouen prosecutor's office opened a case of aggravated violence after clashes in the city center, in which, according to the investigation, activists of far-right and far-left movements took part. The trigger was a viral video by the outlet Blast showing masked men beating a man on the ground. No victims have been officially identified, and no complaints have been filed so far.

Otabek YusupovFirst published on tafs uz 26 October 2026 at 21:492 min read

The key facts

The Rouen prosecutor's office opened a case of aggravated violence after clashes in the city center on Saturday
A video by the outlet Blast shows masked nationalists beating a man lying on the ground
No victims have been officially identified, and no complaints have been filed so far

Investigation after clashes in Rouen

The prosecutor's office of Rouen in northwestern France opened an investigation on Monday into aggravated violence following clashes in the city center, the broadcaster ICI reports. According to the investigation, the conflict involved 'members of far-right and far-left movements.' The clashes took place on Saturday amid nationwide protests across the country.

Video of the beating and police actions

The case was prompted by a viral video published by the news outlet Blast: it shows masked nationalist activists in hoodies beating a man lying on the ground. The footage also shows police officers dispersing the crowd to separate the demonstrators, while the perpetrators retreat shouting 'Nationalist Rouen' and 'The streets, France, belong to us.'

What is known about the progress of the case

The investigation will allow the authorities to examine surveillance camera footage from the courthouse area, however no victims have been officially identified so far. According to the report, no complaints have been filed at this time. The editorial notes that the absence of formally identified victims and complaints may complicate the legal qualification of the incident, despite the existence of the video recording that served as the basis for opening the case.