One of two far-right activists accused of murdering former Argentine national rugby international Federico Martín Aramburú acknowledged responsibility for his death but insisted he acted in self-defence as their trial opened in Paris on Monday.
Aramburú, 42, was with another rugby player at a Paris brasserie in the early hours of March 19, 2022, when they argued with Loïk Le Priol and Romain Bouvier.
After the sportsmen left, the two accused are suspected of having fired several shots at Aramburú, who died of his wounds.
Le Priol, 32, and Bouvier, 35, have been charged with murder and attempted murder respectively in the trial expected to last several weeks.
If convicted, they risk up to life in jail.
Both defendants, former members of the now-dissolved far-right movement Groupe Union Défense (GUD), denied intending to kill Aramburú when they addressed the court on Monday.
The two men say they feared the physical strength of Aramburú and his friend Shaun Hegarty, another former rugby player, although the Argentine was unarmed.
"I am responsible for the death of Federico Martín Aramburú. I have always maintained that I fired in self-defence," said Le Priol, a former commando who is suspected of firing the fatal shots.
"It will be up to the Assize Court to decide whether this defence was legitimate or not," he added.
Bouvier, who has pleaded guilty to assault with a weapon, said he had not meant to harm Aramburú.
"I didn't want to injure him. I didn't even want to touch him," said the former law student, who fired four shots.
According to the investigation, the fatal shots were fired by the former soldier.
The two accused – one wearing a blue shirt and the other a polo shirt – avoided eye contact with the rugby player's relatives as they entered the dock.
Sitting two metres apart, they also did not acknowledge or speak to each other.
Aramburú's widow María, who is raising their three children in southeastern France, wiped away tears during Monday's proceedings, as supporters in the front row wore red scarves bearing the Argentine flag and the number 13 he often sported on the pitch.
A verdict is expected on September 25.
'Justice for Fede'
The trial has prompted calls for justice in Aramburú's native Argentina, where he played for the national team, with members of the Pumas wearing black T-shirts bearing the words "Justice for Fede" ahead of a match on Saturday.
Former friends and teammates have remembered Aramburú as "always smiling" and a "true friend", while his loved ones have urged against any attempt to minimise his death.
A campaign backed by his family, friends and the Argentine rugby community aims to ensure "society remembers what is about to be tried: the murder of a 42-year-old man, father of three children, whose life was snatched away".
The killing was "marked by violence, hatred and extremist intolerance", they said.
The Argentine Rugby Union (UAR), the national governing federation, expressed "its support for the call for justice.”
'I'm going to kill him'
Aramburú had been living in the southwestern French town of Biarritz after retiring. He played club rugby for Perpignan, Biarritz and Dax in France, as well as for the Glasgow Warriors.
He earned 22 caps for Argentina from 2004 to 2009.
Aramburú and Hegarty were in Paris to attend a France-England rugby match.
Le Priol and Bouvier were already facing legal proceedings over the 2015 beating of a former GUD official and were prohibited from contacting each other at the time of the killing. A court in 2022 sentenced them to two and three years in prison over the incident.
According to the investigation, tensions soared at the restaurant after Aramburú's friend, fellow rugby player Shaun Hegarty, criticised Le Priol for the way he snapped at another customer. Le Priol tapped him on the head.
As the rugby players left, Aramburú grabbed him by the hood, slamming him to the ground. The ensuing exchange of blows left Le Priol with a few broken teeth, as the rugby players fled the scene.
Witnesses reported hearing Le Priol say, "I'm going to kill him" and "We'll find them."
Before setting off in pursuit, he told his then-girlfriend to retrieve his Jeep.
The defendants subsequently caught up with Aramburú and Hegarty in the vehicle. Bouvier fired first, according to the investigation, before Le Priol arrived on foot and opened fire.
Shot in the back, Aramburú collapsed and told Hegarty, "I'm going to die," according to the investigation.
Le Priol, who fired six shots at Aramburú, was arrested several days after the killing at the Hungary-Ukraine border, where he told police he was "going to Ukraine to fight" following Russia's full-scale invasion.
Another key issue at trial will be whether Le Priol's criminal responsibility was diminished by post-traumatic stress disorder linked to his years in the military, an issue on which expert witnesses disagree.
Regardless of the verdict, Le Priol told the court he would carry the consequences of the killing for the rest of his life.
"I am condemned for life to carry this immense tragedy. I will never stop asking for forgiveness," he said.
Two other people are also due to appear in connection with the case: Le Priol's former girlfriend, who is accused of complicity in attempted murder, and a far-right sympathiser accused of helping Bouvier flee.
– TIMES/AFP [Reporting by Nicolas Gaudichet]
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