This Saturday, in Biarritz, a crowd of more than 1,000 people paid a last tribute to Federico Martin Aramburu, man of «conviction», “outraged by injustice”. The funeral of the former Argentinian rugby international, shot dead at the age of 42 on Saturday March 19 in Paris, brought together the world of rugby, his former playing partners and friends, but also his relatives and all the Argentinian community of the Southwest.
The former rugby player, living in Biarritz since the end of his sports career, died in the early morning, in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, after an altercation at the bar Le Mabillon. Two men are suspected of being the shooters: Loïk Le Priol, 27-year-old neo-fascist and main suspect, as well as Romain Bouvier, 31, far-right activist. The two men were arrested after a few days on the run. A woman, Lison B., was arrested on the day of the incident and is suspected of being the driver of the car, is also indicted for “complicity in murder”.
“People against your values”
During the ceremony, celebrated in French and Spanish by a Biarritz priest close to the family, there was talk of the “clothes”the cause of the death of Federico Martin Aramburu, and also “of love”. Especially in the mouth of the mother of the deceased, Cecilia, who rejected “cruelty” and “intolerance”. “The solution to all this is neither justice, nor states, nor politics” but education, said the mother with dignity, “so that our children do not experience hatred”. In the process, the friend of always, Roger Aguerre, ex-trainer within the Olympic Biarritz where evolved Federico Martin Aramburu between 2005 and 2006, said “his sadness and his anger” before giving him a “dearest hug”. “These are acts of people opposite to your values and you stood up for your beliefs that night.”
On March 19, in a Parisian establishment in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Federico Martin Aramburu defended a man whom the group of Loïk Le Priol and Romain Bouvier had taken a dislike to. The altercation had degenerated and the two groups had been separated. Federico Martin Aramburu, accompanied by his friend Shaun Hegarty, had left the establishment. It was in the street, shortly after, that the two men were shot at, fired from a Jeep that came up to them.
Augur New
For Omar Hasan, former Argentinian rugby union international who came to honor his friend, Federico “fought against injustice”but was above all found “in the wrong place at the wrong time”. His compatriot and former playing partner in Club Atletico San Isidro (Buenos Aires region), Juan Martin Berberian, remembers the “charisma” of his friend, capable “to cheer up everyone around him”. The deceased leaves behind his wife Maria, and three children, Justina, Trinidad and Santiago. “We will always be there for them; the best way to honor Federico is to take good care of his family”added his friend, very shaken.
In Biarritz, for more than an hour, both inside and outside the Sainte-Eugénie church, facing the ocean, the crowd followed the celebration, punctuated by Basque songs and songs played on acoustic guitar, in respectful silence. Dimitri Yachvili, Jérôme Thion, Imanol Harinordoquy, Gonzalo Quesada or Lisandro Arbizu, but also the presidents of the French Federation Bernard Laporte and the League René Bouscatel, were present in the spans, like Serge Blanco, former boss of Biarritz Olympique, to make tribute to the ex-Puma (22 selections) twice crowned champion of France with the BO (2005, 2006). The coffin had entered the church carried by former teammates, the French internationals Thomas Lievremont and Nicolas Brusque, the Argentinian Manuel Carizza as well as Shaun Hegarty, present at the time of the events. His remains were saluted by theGoodbye sir traditional Basque honorary song, like “his adopted territory”. At the end, his coffin emerged under the solemn applause of a moved crowd.
On the investigation side, Loïk Le Priol, arrested Tuesday evening at the Zahony border post as he was preparing to go to Ukraine, must be handed over to the French authorities by Hungary in the coming days. Romain Bouvier, a former student of the ultra-right Assasctif Parisian university, was arrested on Wednesday in Sarthe. He was indicted for “assassination” and was remanded in custody. Just like Lison B., who is indicted for “complicity in murder”.