a year after the murder of the rugby player in a bar, a tribute paid to Paris

Fighting “the far right, racism, hatred”: a year after the death of former Argentinian rugby player Federico Martin Aramburu, shot dead in Paris, a tribute was paid to him on Sunday by his relatives, elected officials and figures of rugby. The rally took place at the end of the morning, at 146, boulevard Saint-Germain, in the sixth arrondissement of the capital, where the 42-year-old ex-international was killed.

The family and friends of the former sportsman were present, as well as Serge Blanco, former boss of Biarritz Olympique with which he had twice been crowned champion of France, the Argentine coach Gonzalo Quesada or the former president of the French Federation rugby player Bernard Laporte. In the moved crowd, where some carried flowers, stood Shaun Hegarty, friend and associate of Federico Martin Aramburu, who appeared with him the evening of his death, as well as Thomas Lievremont, Damien Traille, Imanol Harinordoquy and Thierry Dusautoir.

Killed in a bar

The ex-Puma was shot dead on March 19, 2022 after an altercation in a bar. The two main suspects are two activists anchored on the far right: Romain Bouvier and Loïk Le Priol, a former soldier and activist of the ultra-right movement Groupe Union Défense (GUD), who had fled to Hungary after the events. before being arrested. They were indicted in particular for “murder” and imprisoned.

“All extremism causes disasters (…) but this irrational and characteristic hatred of the extreme right towards all that it considers different from itself makes it a constant threat in many societies”, declared Cécilia in particular, the mother of Federico Martin Aramburu. “The truth of Federico’s murder could not be hidden, it is obvious to all. That is why we are here today, paying tribute to Federico for the great person he was, but also to protect his honor, because he was the victim of an execution that should never have taken place,” she also said.

The Argentinian Ambassador present

The Argentine Ambassador to France, Leonardo Daniel Costantino, said he came “to embody the support of the Argentine State for Federico’s family and the condemnation by my country of this act of extreme violence against an Argentine compatriot , who also held French nationality”. A year later, “the injustice is infinite, the anger and the misunderstanding still the same”, underlined Pierre Rabadan, deputy mayor of Paris in charge of Sport, himself a former rugby player.

Hailing “a solar personality”, “an exceptional rugby player”, he added: “The violence and the ideas that led to the worst here will always be fought (…) The fight against the far right, the , hatred, racism, identity ideology will always be at the heart of our values”. At the end of the brief speeches, a plaque in memory of the deceased, which will be placed, was unveiled. Federico Martin Aramburu, former center or winger for Biarritz (2004-2006), Perpignan (2006-2008) or Dax (2008-2010), had 22 selections with Argentina. Since retiring from sport, he lived in Biarritz and worked in tourism.