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Agence France-Presse

Two French youths were jailed Tuesday over a deadly attack on a Chinese tailor that sparked mass protests by the country’s Asian community.
The pair, aged 17 and 19 at the time of the attack in August 2016, left Zhang Chaolin with fatal injuries when he fell while they were mugging him.
The older defendant was sentenced to 10 years in jail and the younger to four years with an additional year suspended for violent robbery leading to death.

The younger, who has already served two years behind bars awaiting trial, burst into tears upon hearing the verdict at a juvenile court near Paris.
Prosecutors had asked that the pair be jailed for 15 years and eight years respectively.
Zhang’s death caused an outcry among Asians living in France, with thousands taking to the streets to protest what they called a rise in anti-Asian racism in poorer French communities.
The 49-year-old and a friend were on their way to a restaurant in the Paris suburb of Aubervilliers when three teenagers crossed their path.
Zhang, who has two children, fell and hit his head on a wall after being kicked in the chest.
He died five days later in hospital, while his friend sustained minor injuries.
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Lawyers for the victims’ families welcomed the ruling.
“It’s important for the victims and for the other victims of similar crimes,” said family lawyer Vincent Fillola.
“This will be a signal for people from the Chinese community and Asians in general,” he added.
“The courts have acknowledged the violence that they suffer on a daily basis and saw this violence for what it was – based on racist prejudice.”

Marlene Viallet, lawyer for the accused, meanwhile blasted the verdict as “a poor application of the law”.
The defence team had protested the lengthy jail terms demanded by the prosecution, saying there was no intention to murder and denying their clients were racist.
The attack, in which the assailants came away with just a phone charger and some sweets, followed a string of robberies targeting Chinese tourists and small-business owners in France’s gritty high-rise suburbs.
During police questioning, one of the suspects said the gang had targeted the Chinese pair because they had heard Asians “carry a lot of cash”.
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But Viallet said that while stereotypes about Asians were rife in low-income suburbs, “there is no hatred towards them”.
The attack on Zhang, she said, was purely an act of “delinquency”.
Around 10,000 people of Chinese origin live in Aubervilliers, Europe’s biggest textile import-export hub, which has a population of 80,000.
Community leaders say security has improved since Zhang’s death.



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France

Two French youths jailed over deadly attack of Chinese tailor

Family members hold the portrait of Zhang Chaolin during a tribute ceremony outside the city hall in Aubervilliers, a suburb of Paris, France, on August 14, 2016. Photo: AFP

Members of the Chinese commmunity in Paris hold a banner during a demonstration on September 4, 2016 in Paris, following the death of Zhang Chaolin and also calling for greater security measures. Several thousand ethnic Chinese staged a protest march in Paris on September 4 over the fatal mugging of a Chinese tailor last month, as crime against community members has spiralled. The protesters, almost all wearing white T-shirts reading "Security for All" and many waving French flags, rallied at the Place de la Republique in central Paris. Zhang Chaolin, who was 49, was set upon on August 7 by three thieves who tried to snatch a bag belonging to a friend of his. He died a few days later from his injuries. / AFP PHOTO / FRANCOIS GUILLOT

People light candles and lay flowers next to a portrait of Chinese Zhang Chaolin, during a tribute ceremony outside the city hall in Aubervilliers, north-eastern suburbs of Paris, on August 14, 2016. Chinese Zhang Chaolin, aged 49, was assaulted by three men in the streets in Aubervilliers on August 7, 2016 and died 5 days later from a coma. / AFP PHOTO / ALAIN JOCARD

French youths in court for deadly ‘racist’ attack on Chinese tailor

Relatives hold a portrait of Zhang Chaolin during a tribute ceremony outside city hall in Aubervilliers, northeast Paris, on August 14, 2016. Photo: AFP

People wave French national flags as they march during a demonstration in Paris on August 21, 2016, organised by several associations of the Chinese community to ask for protection measures, after the death of Zhang Chaolin killed on August 7, 2016. Chinese Zhang Chaolin, aged 49, was assaulted by three men in the streets in Aubervilliers on August 7, 2016 and died 5 days later from a coma. / AFP PHOTO / BERTRAND GUAY

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World

Europe

One suspect said the teens targeted Zhang Chaolin and his friend because they had heard Asians ‘carry a lot of cash’


One suspect said the teens targeted Zhang Chaolin and his friend because they had heard Asians ‘carry a lot of cash’.


Racism and other prejudice

Chinese overseas

Crime

Two French youths jailed over deadly attack of Chinese tailor

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}One suspect said the teens targeted Zhang Chaolin and his friend because they had heard Asians ‘carry a lot of cash’

One suspect said the teens targeted Zhang Chaolin and his friend because they had heard Asians ‘carry a lot of cash’