A massive and extremely violent brawl was filmed last month in the courtyard of the Nantes detention center, reports BFMTV.

The footage shows two groups of inmates clashing in the prison yard. One of them, lynched by his opponents, is dragged, naked and bloodied, across the asphalt. The security guards do not intervene, and blows rain down from both sides. This scene, straight out of a Hollywood film about prison life, unfolded on November 9th at the Nantes Detention Center.

Drug trafficking

According to BFMTV, the perpetrators were armed with "homemade blades" and "ceramic knives." Their motive? Control of drug trafficking within the prison. Five inmates sustained injuries of varying severity, and several identified participants were transferred the following day to another prison. An investigation has been opened by the Nantes public prosecutor's office.

Too dangerous to intervene

Prison staff justified their inaction due to the extreme danger of the situation: “We could be taken hostage, injured, attacked, killed. There is a prohibition against intervening in these cases,” union representative William Cozic told BFMTV.

Gérald Darmanin “not surprised”

Invited to comment on the events on BFMTV, Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin deemed it crucial to "restore order in the prisons" but said he was not surprised by the events in Nantes. He mentioned the shortage of prison officers: "We are short 4,000 officers in our prisons. They are very courageous, but there are not enough of them," he stated.