Eight months suspended prison sentence required against Bastien Chalureau, the decision of the Court of Appeal rendered on January 16

Bastien Chalureau lors de son procès en appel ce mardi 14 novembre. MAXPPP – NATHALIE SAINT AFFRE

Bastien Chalureau left the Toulouse criminal court without a response this Tuesday, November 14, after appealing his conviction for racist violence.  All parties remained in their positions. Bastien Chalureau recognizes the attack but denies the racist nature. While the Advocate General maintains it.

The file weighed on his broad shoulders. And he will continue to do so until January 16, the date of the deliberation.

In November 2020, Bastien Chalureau was convicted of acts of racist violence on the night of January 31, 2020 by the Toulouse criminal court. He immediately decided to appeal this decision, denying the racist nature of the attack. This is also this element which caused so much controversy before the Rugby World Cup. Two elected officials from France Insoumise brought this matter up to date, being surprised by the selection of the player. "I'm not a racist, I'm a unifier", declared the player, in tears, during an exceptional press conference a few days before the France-New Zealand match on September 8.

You talk about an accident, but an accident is when your car's brakes fail you. This is an attack

The appeal judgment was heard this Tuesday early in the afternoon. Chalureau, wearing a blue blazer over a white t-shirt, appeared in court with his partner and his lawyer, Maître Mendel. His parents are there, too. For 1h20, the blond giant (2.01m, 118kg) is questioned about that night of January 31. The president notes some inconsistencies in the player's version. It was not a “slap”, but a “punch” delivered to the victim Yannick Larguet. "You talk about an accident, but an accident is when your car's brakes fail you. “That’s an attack,” he says.

It’s the attorney general’s turn to speak. The tone is firmer. "If the situation degenerated that evening, it is because the racist remarks made were true. Perhaps, even if he were joking, Mr. Chalureau would never say that kind of thing. But maybe by drinking, yes, he says.

Drunkenness as a new aggravating circumstance ?

The state of intoxication is also the new element in this affair. Not mentioned in the deliberations at first instance, it could well be added to the aggravating circumstances.

Master Mendel's line of defense insists on this point. It is preferable to consider the state of drunkenness as an aggravating circumstance rather than the racist character. "There is an element of alcohol in this story, that's for sure. But there is no proof of the racist nature of his remarks. I asked the justice system not to be exploited. I am now waiting for a legal trial which will recognize and restore the honor of Mr. Chalureau in this matter,” confides Maître Mendel.

The summary is simple: everyone remains stuck to their position. Bastien Chalureau recognizes the attack but denies the racist nature. While the Advocate General maintains it. The latter requires eight months of suspended prison time, as in the first instance (reduced to six by the president at the time), plus a fine. Requisitions given in front of the victim Yannick Larguet, present alongside his lawyer. The deliberations will be given on January 16 at 2 p.m.

What happened on the night of January 31, 2020 ?

Bastien Chalureau, then a Stade Toulousain player, went to party in town with his friends from Castres Olympique Victor Moreaux and Tudor Stroe. The evening gets out of hand at 4:35 a.m., in the parking lot of Place Jean-Jaurès in downtown Toulouse. background of tension, Chalureau and his friends find themselves facing Yannick Larguet and Nassim Arif, two former players. "It's okay, the bougnoules", Chalureau would have said. The second line would then have hit Larguet with a violent punch. 

To end the brawl and face the The enraged state of the international future, Moreaux delivers a punch to Chalureau's temple. The second row fell to the ground, stunned.

Larguet and Arif filed a complaint four days later.