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CRIME

Animal rights group to sue French rail service after cat crushed by train

After family pet Neko was run over by a high-speed TGV train at Paris' Montparnasse station, animal rights group 'Fondation 30 millions d'amis' is suing the French national rail service.

Published: 24 January 2023 10:36 CET
Animal rights group to sue French rail service after cat crushed by train
A high speed TGV train stands at a platform at the Gare Montparnasse train station in Paris (Photo by Thomas SAMSON / AFP)

After a cat was crushed by a train departing from the Paris Montparnasse station, the Foundation for 30 million friends (Fondation 30 millions d’amis) announced that it would be suing French national rail services, SNCF, for “serious abuse and acts of cruelty resulting in the death of an animal” – an offence that has a maximum penalty of a €75,000 fine or five years in jail.

The Foundation announced its plans to file complaints against SNCF in a tweet published on Monday, referencing the tragic death of a family pet, Neko, who was crushed by a high-speed TGV train on January 2nd.

The cat had apparently been travelling with its owner, Georgia, and her 15-year-old daughter, Melaïna when it managed to escape from its cage prior to boarding. The animal then hid under the train headed from Paris to Bordeaux and was crushed as the TGV departed.

The mother and daughter reportedly spent at least 20 minutes attempting to negotiate with SNCF officials to delay the departure of the train in order to recover the cat, but their requests were refused. 

The case

As a result, the head of the foundation, Reha Hutin, said in a statement published on the organisation’s website that the animal was “knowingly crushed”.

“In addition to the abominable cruelty of the facts, the animal was in compliance with the rules, his owners had purchased a ticket for him to travel along with them”, said Hutin. “It was therefore an SNCF passenger who was knowingly crushed.”

France facts: Snails need a ticket to travel on a train

According to reporting by Le Parisien, the complaint filed cited Article 521-1 of the French penal code, alleging that SNCF’s actions constituted serious abuse and acts of cruelty, which could lead to a fine of up to €75,000 and five years imprisonment if found responsible.

In response, French national rail services justified their decision to Le Parisien, arguing that “it is extremely dangerous to go down on the tracks because they are electrified”. SNCF also reiterated to the French daily that the incident occurred during the end of the Christmas-New Year holidays, “so there were a lot of people in the station, which meant that we could not stop the traffic so easily”.

Member comments

  1. Didn’t know tracks are electrified ; I thought all the power was through overhead cables ? Maybe for signaling. Tough decision either way.

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CRIME

Two girls wounded in knife attack outside French school

An assailant on Thursday wounded two girls aged 6 and 11 in a knife attack close to their school in the east of France and was later arrested, officials said.

Published: 18 April 2024 16:33 CEST
Two girls wounded in knife attack outside French school

The 11-year-old was stabbed outside the school in the town of Souffelweyersheim, on the outskirts of Strasbourg, while the six-year-old was attacked by the same man nearby.

Both received superficial wounds, police said, adding the attacker did not appear to have any known links to radicals and was not previously known to the security services.

Both received superficial wounds, police said, adding the attacker did not appear to have any known links to radicals and was not previously known to the security services.

Both girls are being treated in a paediatric hospital. Parents were later in the afternoon allowed to pick up their children, who had been confined to the school in the immediate aftermath of the attack.

The attacker, born in 1995, was arrested in the area where he attacked the second girl, the police said. He no longer had the knife in his hand and did not resist arrest, it added.

The attack came as Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced a series of measures aimed at cracking down on violence committed by schoolchildren against their peers. There was no indication so far that the attacker had a link with the school.

“I’m really scared. We’ve been reassured that the children are safe inside, but we don’t know when we’ll be able to get them back,” Sarah, a mother of an eight-year-old pupil, told AFP before the green light was given to collect the children.

“A friend called me. She saw the commotion in front of the school as she passed by. Her reflex was to call me so that I could pick up my son.”

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