The arrest of Fred Braquet, president of Populaire Sud, sparked a wave of outrage among Nice supporters, who did not hesitate to show their full support. He was released last night.
Upset. Indignant. Disgusted. The Nice supporters did not hide their dissatisfaction last night regarding the situation of one of their historic leaders. Detained for “participating in maintaining a dissolved association,” Fred Braquet was finally released last night. This followed the police searching the premises of Populaire Sud as well as his home.
It was hard to miss this affair last night on social media. Photos and comments appeared alongside hashtags like “Je suis Brigade Sud Nice”, “Liberty for the Ultras”, and “support BSN85”.
Support came, of course, from Nice, but also from Lille, Lens, and Nancy, as evidenced by a message posted last night on its Facebook page by the Nice Ultras group: “Populaire Sud wishes to thank everyone who supports us, as well as ARN, the guys from Inter, Toro, Nancy, Saarbruck, Lille, Imperia, and Valencia”.
Some went directly to the Auvare barracks, where the head of Populaire Sud was held, to express unwavering support for him. About fifty ultras responded to the call launched on Facebook earlier by the Nice supporters group.
The reason for this detention? The giant “tifo” deployed by Populaire Sud on Sunday evening during the derby against Olympique de Marseille. Three giant letters, BSN, displayed on a red and black background, to pay tribute to the BSN (Brigade Sud Nice, dissolved in April 2010).
A tribute that did not sit well with the authorities, who questioned the leader of the group. He was eventually released during the night, with no charges or subsequent summons.
A new episode that highlights the current tension between law enforcement and French Ultras. Not such good news just a few months before the Euro in our country.
