Revenge attack on SUV

Dead cyclist throws France into turmoil

Symbolic image

(Bild: stock.adobe.com/Gautierbzh)

France is in turmoil: following the death of a cyclist run over by an SUV in Paris, activists in Toulouse, around 600 kilometers away, deflated the tires of 65 SUVs at night in protest. The cars are a "masculine status symbol".

The SUVs are the enemy of pedestrians and cyclists, as they are much wider and heavier and cause more fatal accidents than ordinary cars, explained the organization "No SUV Tolosa", as reported by the newspaper "Libération".

Cities are not designed for such large vehicles and people should be discouraged from buying such cars, which are real "climate bombs".

Nationwide protests after deaths
Protests were held in Paris and other major French cities at the weekend to commemorate the cyclist Paul Varry (27), who was run over in Paris on Tuesday. The French Cyclists' Federation, among others, had called for more safety for cyclists on the roads.

The Paris public prosecutor's office is investigating the 52-year-old driver of the SUV on suspicion of murder because he is alleged to have deliberately run over the cyclist on Tuesday after an argument. The investigators are relying on CCTV footage and witness statements.

In order to make faster progress in the traffic jam, the SUV driver had apparently already driven 200 meters across a bicycle lane when he rolled onto the 27-year-old's foot. When the cyclist hit the hood of the car, the driver initially reversed, but then steered the car in the direction of the cyclist when he tried to call him to account.

Murder suspect in custody
The car driver is in custody. His lawyer explained that the man had definitely not wanted to kill the cyclist. He may have lost control of his car during the altercation.

The activists in Toulouse also argued that for many people, buying an SUV is a question of status and an expression of a masculine attitude. "It was this masculine attitude that cost Paul Varry his life. An ego-hit SUV driver, unable to control his emotions, who would rather run over a cyclist and traumatize his own daughter in the vehicle than listen to the cyclist's criticism and question himself."