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Men accused of pushing cyclists into ditches for fun go on trial in France (www.theguardian.com)

submitted 9 months ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/world@lemmy.world

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Two defendants could face up to five years in prison after spate of incidents in country’s rural south-west

Two men accused of driving up to cyclists in rural south-west France and pushing them into ditches for fun have gone on trial in Toulouse for organised violence and could face up to five years in prison.

The two men, aged 20 and 22, were arrested last year after a spate of cyclists being pushed off their bikes on quiet country roads. One victim told the newspaper La Dépêche: “It was April … I’d gone out on my bike for the afternoon. When I got to a little country road … I felt a car was following me silently. It was driving very slowly behind me when it could easily have overtaken me. Then after a few minutes it drove up beside me. The car’s passenger suddenly pushed me down.”

Another man described being on a weekend cycle ride with two friends when a car pulled up beside him and the passenger allegedly reached out a hand and pushed him into a ditch.

At least 12 cyclists were hit over a period of several months, some sustaining injuries including a wrist fracture and a collar-bone fracture.

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[-] xmunk@sh.itjust.works 117 points 9 months ago

Fuck these two douchebags so hard for assaulting strangers.

[-] someguy3@lemmy.world 86 points 9 months ago

"It's just a prank bro!"

These guys deserve their punishment.

[-] LarmyOfLone@lemm.ee 46 points 9 months ago

Collar-bone fracture is I believe incredibly painful and long lasting injury. Glad those fuckers face justice.

[-] Zehzin@lemmy.world 7 points 9 months ago

I broke my cousin's when we were kids, coincidentally on a bicycle accident, and it took like six months to heal back.

I had to get my head stiched up, so I think we're even.

[-] rckclmbr@lemm.ee 5 points 9 months ago

Broke mine last year, took a surgery and 6 months of physical therapy to get close to normal. I also couldn’t sleep for a month, every little movement would hurt. Broke it by wrecking on my bike

[-] Ilovethebomb@lemm.ee 30 points 9 months ago

Imagine that conversation in the prison yard.

so, what are you in for?

} me and a few friends pushed a bunch of cyclists off their bikes.

[-] autotldr@lemmings.world 10 points 9 months ago

This is the best summary I could come up with:

The two men, aged 20 and 22, were arrested last year after a spate of cyclists being pushed off their bikes on quiet country roads.

Another man described being on a weekend cycle ride with two friends when a car pulled up beside him and the passenger allegedly reached out a hand and pushed him into a ditch.

I felt a violent blow to my left ear,” he said, adding that he had been slapped or punched by the person in the car.

Brice Zanin, a lawyer for several of the cyclists, told France Inter radio: “The only motive was idiocy, because once the victims had been pushed off their bikes, the men drove off laughing in their car.

Arrested in December 2023, the two men denied any involvement and said they had no bad feelings towards cyclists.

The original article contains 351 words, the summary contains 175 words. Saved 50%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!

[-] JohnnyH842@lemmy.world 9 points 9 months ago

Up to 5 years for attempted manslaughter.

[+] doingthestuff@lemmy.world -67 points 9 months ago

Eh, where I'm at they just hit you with their trucks. Only crazy people ride bikes here, or those with a death wish.

[-] Mr_Blott@lemmy.world 36 points 9 months ago

Completely irrelevant to the article. To put this in perspective, Frenchies love cycling. It's the law to give 1.5m of space when overtaking a cyclist, and if there's cars coming the other way, they'll sit behind the bike and wait until they can overtake safely

Cycling through Paris actually feels far safer than driving or walking 😂

[-] lysol@lemmy.world 15 points 9 months ago

Sounds like a great place to live!

[-] laughterlaughter@lemmy.world 7 points 9 months ago

Where do you live?

[-] doingthestuff@lemmy.world 7 points 9 months ago

I'm on the outside edge of Cincinnati, Ohio. My drive to work is curvy hills with high speed limits and it's full of landscaping earth hauler trucks as we have three major landscaping companies between my home and work.

The trucks don't hit bikers on purpose, there's just no shoulder, only a ditch on one side. So if they come around a bend and there's a bike and another big vehicle coming the opposite direction they just can't stop in time and can't use the other lane. I've never actually seen a bike on my commute in over a decade here except a couple of decorated bikes on the side of the road as memorials and one time I saw a pack of 20 bikes on a group ride.

I've lived in Germany and the Netherlands and bike friendly places in the US so I know what it could be. It's just not like that here. Fuck all the downvoters. I don't give a shit about that though, I'm just saying how it is.

[-] Webster@lemmy.world 10 points 9 months ago

Your first comment made it sound like they are hitting you on purpose. This comment makes it sound more like the infrastructure is not conductive to cycling and therefore it's dangerous to cycle in your area. I grew up in northeast Cincinnati and am an avid cyclist, and the second comment lines up with my experience while the first, that reads as if people are actively trying to hit you, doesn't line up with my experience. I think that is why you are getting down voted.

[-] doingthestuff@lemmy.world 3 points 9 months ago

Yeah I gathered the same. I'm not one to edit comments generally though so I tried to clarify with another comment. At least that one was understood. Thanks.

[-] LarmyOfLone@lemm.ee 5 points 9 months ago

Where is that? USA?

[-] youngGoku@lemmy.world 8 points 9 months ago

Most likely. As an American cyclist myself, it sucks to have to share the road with vehicles. I've been harassed and hit multiple times and I know others who have as well.

this post was submitted on 01 Feb 2024

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