Mehdi Kessaci's mother, with her son Amine Kessaci, former Secretary of State for Citizenship, Sabrina Agresti-Roubache, the mayor of Marseille, Benoît Payan, and the president (Renaissance) of the Assemblée, Yaël Braun-Pivet, during the tribute to Mehdi Kessaci in Marseille on November 22, 2025. ARTHUR LARIE
Thousands of people gathered in Marseille on Saturday, November 22, to honor the brother of an anti-drug activist murdered in France's second-largest city last week, after his death sparked nationwide calls to confront drug crime. Demonstrators chanted "Justice for Mehdi" before observing a minute of silence at the roundabout where the 20-year-old Mehdi Kessaci was shot dead by a gunman in his parked car on November 13.
Investigations are ongoing, but authorities consider the murder to be a "warning crime" linked to the anti-drug activism of his brother Amine Kessaci, 22, who was welcomed by cheers as he joined the crowd on Saturday. Amine Kessaci is now living under police protection and the gathering was marked by heavy police presence in the southern port city hard hit by drug crime.
The young anti-drug and environmental activist threw himself into campaigning after his half-brother Brahim was murdered in a drug-trafficking feud in 2020. "I demand justice for Mehdi. I demand justice for Brahim, my other murdered brother. I demand justice for all the victims. I demand safety for my family," said Amine Kessaci, whose presence at the gathering wasn't confirmed until the last moment due to security concerns.
