“There are no more cinema guys”, exclaims the man who films the UGC Ciné Cité de Cergy (95). In the video, shot with a smartphone and shared on Snapchat, we see some reddish flames through the windows of the building. On the night of Wednesday to Thursday June 29, around 1:20 a.m., according to the town hall, rioters attacked the only cinema in the city of Cergy in reaction to the death of Nahel, 17, killed by a police officer on Tuesday June 27 in Nanterre. Fortunately, without making any victim according to Nicolas Nowaczyk, in charge of communication with the municipality.
According to the mayor, Jean-Paul Jeandon (PS), “two windows were broken and a mortar fire was sent to the cinema”. He adds that the outbreak of fire was quickly controlled and that “the damage was limited to dust and mortar debris”. On site Thursday morning, Alexandre Pueyo, municipal and departmental councilor of Cergy, describes “the torn carpet”. “Employees are cleaning up and a few doors need to be changed,” reports the elected official from the forecourt of the cinema. “One of the managers lives next door. He reacted very quickly and activated the smoke extraction system,” he explains.
Since Thursday morning, on the cinema’s website, a message: “Your UGC Ciné Cité Cergy cinema will be exceptionally closed today. Spectators who have booked for a session that day will be automatically refunded. We apologize for the inconvenience.” Jean-Paul Landon says he has discussed with UGC officials and the cinema should reopen this Thursday evening or Friday June 30. According to the mayor, a few people were arrested, but “a priori they are not those who tried to burn down the cinema”.
Alexandre Pueyo as Jean-Paul Landon describe a rather calm city, “even if it happens that there are riots, things are going rather well”. But since Nahel’s death on Tuesday in Nanterre during a police check that went wrong, Cergy has flared up. On Wednesday evening, the municipal councilor said he heard mortar fire around 11:15 p.m. and the police station was also the victim of an attempted fire. “It’s a bit of chaos, there are burnt cars everywhere,” he describes, as he goes to the Ciné Cité UGC in Cergy, late Thursday morning.
“It had been a long time since Cergy had experienced this level of degradation”, confirms the mayor. For him the challenge of the day is the white march organized in tribute to Nahel. “Everyone must be able to share this moment of pain and find calm quickly,” hopes Jean-Paul Jeandon.