A group of multicultural youths, several of whom, according to social media users, are of North African origin based on their appearance and slang, have beaten 17-year-old French teenager Louis to death in the city of Narbonne, France.

Two videos have leaked showing the final moments when Louis was still conscious. The attack took place during the night between June 19 and 20 at a construction site. The perpetrators themselves filmed the brutal assault, repeatedly stomping on Louis’s head with full force.

In one of the clips, one of the youths lies next to the unconscious and severely injured Louis, who is struggling to breathe, and taunts the camera with a mocking smile. The suspects are reported to have immigrant backgrounds from North Africa and the Middle East.

On the video’s audio, the perpetrators can be heard shouting curses and mocking Louis as they beat him to death. One of them also makes various gang signs and smiles at the camera while the victim is dying.

Louis was found unconscious with severe facial and head injuries and bruises all over his body. He was placed in an induced coma and passed away three days later.

“They kill us and laugh about it”

The police suspect it was a planned ambush motivated by revenge, but the motive is not yet fully clarified. Louis lived in foster care placed there by social authorities.

Five youths have been arrested and charged with attempted murder. The charges are expected to be upgraded to murder following Louis’s death. Three of the suspects are minors, which in practice often results in very lenient or no sentences if convicted.

Several journalists, politicians, and commentators have condemned the brutal assault. The French right-wing activist Thaïs d’Escufon wrote, among other things:

“Louis, 17, was beaten to death by a group of thugs who ambushed him. Europeans, wake up. The war has already started and we are counting our dead. Remigration is the only solution. Those bastards need to go home.”

In another post she wrote:

“One of Louis’s immigrant murderers takes a selfie next to his dying body. They kill us and laugh about it. Never let yourselves be fooled by their victim rhetoric again. They know exactly what they’re doing. They hate us. And I hate them too.”

Thaïs d’Escufon was recently convicted for statements claiming that black and Arab immigrant men constitute the greatest threat to women.

Jordan Bardella, chairman of the anti-immigration party National Rally, has also expressed his disgust.

Louis, 17 years old, was lynched to death with unimaginable brutality, filmed by his gleeful attackers, left to suffer an entire night and found lifeless at a construction site in Narbonne.

He is the symbol of a country that has lost its way, undermined by a savagery that neither the laxness nor blindness of our leaders can restrain.

We must dare to break with 30 years of failures if we are to restore order in France.

The incident has provoked strong emotions in France and contributes to the ongoing debate about security, integration, and violence related to immigration.

Why we are publishing the video

We are showing the raw violence without editing because reality must not be whitewashed—the public has a right to see what actually happens. The material is disturbing, and we warn sensitive viewers before they choose to view it.