A labor protest at a French transportation company turned violent Tuesday evening when the company's manager allegedly drove a bus toward a group of striking workers, injuring two people.
The incident occurred in Bazancourt, a town near Reims in the Marne department of northeastern France. Approximately 25 employees of Groupe Dewitte, a transportation firm operating ambulances, buses, and taxis, had blocked the entrance to the company facility to protest working conditions when the confrontation took place.
Company manager Laurent Dewitte and another non-striking driver were arrested by police on suspicion of committing violence with a weapon. Both were released later that day, though the investigation remains ongoing.
Xavier, a witness who participated in the protest, described the harrowing moment: "I moved at the last second. I saw him brake sharply. My colleague was hit right in front of me."
According to Xavier's account, around 10:00 p.m., the manager attempted to remove a bus from the premises, which the demonstrators tried to prevent. "He got into the bus, approached the gate, drove toward us and stopped. Then my colleague moved back two meters, and he accelerated toward him again all the way to the center of the roundabout," the worker said.
The striking employees are protesting the installation of cameras inside company vehicles, demanding improved wages, and complaining about deteriorating relations with management.
Witnesses reported that the bus traveled approximately ten meters during the incident. Subsequently, another driver entered the bus, struck an additional protester, and left the scene before the manager returned to the area.
Both injured workers were taken to a hospital for medical treatment. A colleague who visited one of the victims reported: "He's in very bad shape, his back hurts a lot. I think he still hasn't processed what happened to him."
