IN THE ‘HOODS’, AT THE HEART OF THE GANG WARFARE | M6 | Enquête Exclusive

Within a few days, confrontations between gangs of youths have soared in the Paris region, leaving at least three dead. The economic crisis, the lack of resources for social protection and also the use of social media networks may explain this spiral of deadly violence.  In 2020, in France, incidents of fighting increased by more than 20%. We met members of such gangs in Massy and in Epinay-sous-Sénart. They explain how and why they defend their territory. And with what weapons. Knives, machetes, clubs and now even with firearms.  They also use firework mortars, whose sale is regulated, but which are not difficult to procure. To keep a lid on the violence, police are fighting the phenomenon by studying social media networks and stepping in as soon as possible in order to prevent brawls turning into tragedy. The 17-year-old son of Nathalie BIRIMTA was stabbed to death in 2018 during a brawl between rival gangs from the 19^th and 20^th arrondissements of Paris.  She has since created the collective “Fighting Mom”. She steps in the moment she is alerted to a possible upcoming fight. In Garges-lès-Goness, the rapper Adama CAMARA, reformed brawler with a 5-year jail sentence, goes around schools to tell his story and prevent young people from making the same mistakes as he did.