Murder in the Paris Subway

On December 27 a young Vietnamese woman, Vy-Anh Nguyen, was killed in the Paris subway when a man pushed her down a staircase as he fled after trying to steal the cell phone of another female passenger.Vy-Anh lapsed into a coma and died a few hours later at the hospital. Her funeral was held Thursday, January 7 in Antony near Paris. The story was posted at Novopress and François Desouche, and later in Le Parisien, France-Soir, and other news sources. But it was thanks to Novopress that photos of the killer became known to the public. The publication of the photos resulted in an investigation of Novopress for violation of secrecy, since such photos are normally reserved for the authorities.

The following was posted by Novopress on December 29:

Thanks to the surveillance cameras in the subway, the face of the individual who killed a young woman on Monday December 27 in the Etienne Marcel subway station is now known.

A man "apparently of mixed blood, 20 years old, 175 centimeters tall, normal weight, slight beard growth", is how the regional transport police described him.

On December 29, Le Parisien wrote:

Vy-Anh was conscious at first, then began having convulsions. She was admitted to Henri-Mondor de Créteil hospital where an emergency operation was performed, but she died that evening from her injuries. The man who appears on the videos from the surveillance cameras is being sought. But his face is hardly visible and is very difficult to distinguish.

Note: The above statement is not true as you can see from the photos (above).

The next day, December 30, Le Parisien changed its tune as it became obvious that the photos could help capture the man and as readers expressed support for Novopress:

We have a very precise description thanks to the video cameras and evidence provided by private individuals" (this would refer to Novopress). According to statements from Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux (...) the investigation to capture the man responsible for the death of a young woman is progressing. (...) The minister revealed that the "smartphone effect" was responsible for much of the 39.3% increase in violent robberies committed during the first eleven months of the year (...)

Notice how Hortefeux blames the smartphone more than the criminals who steal the phone and possibly kill the owner. The rest of the article is devoted to his decision to warn people who take the subway not to use the phone. (He should perhaps warn them not to take the subway at all.)

"Just for the month of November 2010, the prefecture recorded 2813 objects stolen in the public transport system of Ile-de-France, including 1395 cell phones, 63.9% of which were smartphones," explained Michel Gaudin, prefect of police.

The reports vary somewhat on what it was he stole. Some say he tried to steal a purse, others say it was a smartphone. It was while he was in flight from this attempted robbery that he ran into the Vietnamese girl and shoved her down the staircase.

Roger Heurtebise, writing at Riposte Laïque, gives his view of this event, denouncing the Left for their silence following this latest killing. Here are the last three paragraphs of his article:

Are you aware, Ladies and Gentlemen of the Left, that the Vietnamese of France are mainly Buddhists, then Catholic, Taoist, or Confucianist, not to mention their ancestor cults that cross through all the other religions? And yet, not one of them occupies the streets illegally for weekly prayers, or holds you hostage in municipal buildings, or threatens to riot if you don't finance their religious buildings at taxpayers' expense, or demands special foods in your school cafeterias, or prayer rooms, or separate faucets, or slaughters sheep in bathtubs, or forces their daughters - most of whom have French first names - to cover themselves in potato sacks, or torches the cars and the schools of Frenchmen, or chases Jews from the Republic's schools, or defends stoning and polygamy, or threatens the life of the mayor of Paris on grounds his homosexuality is contrary to their dogma. (...)

Our country ought to render the homages to Vy-Anh Nguyen that are her due, for her worthy efforts at integration and assimilation, as well as those of her family and all immigrants who fight against Islamic and stone-age totalitarianism.

Novopress now reports that a gathering was held today (Sunday, January 9) at the Etienne Marcel subway station, in honor of the girl. The meeting was called by the Liaison Office of Associations and Free Vietnamese in France. A wreath was laid and participants were asked to bring a white rose, but no slogans or signs.


Vy-Anh was a brilliant student. She graduated from high-school at 15, majoring in Economics and Social Science. She then entered business school and graduated four years later. She worked as a press attachée and for cosmetic and perfume firms. Her father had arrived in France in 1963 to pursue his studies. Today he is a pharmacist, as is her sister, in the Paris region. (France-Soir)