:quality(85)//cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/infobae/5LTF2AKAUFA67DOES5YALA2NXE.jpg)
A portrait of Federico Aramburu in Biarritz. (AP Photo/Bob Edme)
With the premise of “fighting the extreme right, racism, hatred”, the former rugby player Federico Martín Aramburu, shot by two militants after a fight in a bar, was honored by his family and sports figures in Paris, at a year of his murder.
It may interest you: Mountains of garbage, the new “tourist attraction” in Paris due to the strikes
The victim’s family and friends were present at the event, which was held at 146 Boulevard Saint-Germain, where Aramburu, a 42-year-old former Puma, was murdered.
In addition, Serge Blanco, former president of Biarritz Olympique, the club with which Aramburu was proclaimed French champion twice; the Argentine coach Gonzalo Quesada and the former president of the French Rugby Federation Bernard Laporte.
It may interest you: Within days of defining the pension reform, the French continue their fight with tons of garbage as an ally
It may interest you: Shock over the murder of Federico Martín Aramburu: the messages from his former colleagues and the tribute they will pay him in France
Among those present, many of whom brought bouquets of flowers, was Shaun Hegarty, Aramburu’s friend and associate, who was with him on the night of his assassination, as well as the Gauls Thomas Lièvremont, Damien Traille, Imanol Harinordoquy and Thierry Duseautoir.
It may interest you: Crisis in France: more than 100 detainees for the violent protests in Paris against the pension reform
On March 19, 2022, Aramburu was shot after an altercation at a bar. The two main targets for the crime are two far-right militants: Romain Bouvier and Loïk Le Priol, a former soldier and member of the Union Defense Group (GUD) movement, who fled to Hungary after the events and was arrested in that country. Both are accused of “homicide” and are in jail.
Federico Martín Aramburu with Gonzalo Quesada
“All extremism causes disasters, but this irrational and characteristic hatred of the extreme right towards everything it considers different from it is a constant threat in many societies,” said Cecilia, the victim’s mother.
“The truth of Federico’s murder could not be hidden, it is evident to everyone. That is why we are all here, today, paying homage to Federico for the person of great value that he was, but also to protect his honor, since he was the victim of an execution that should never have taken place,” he added. .
It may interest you: The career of Federico Martín Aramburu, the former Puma murdered in Paris
The Argentine ambassador to France, Leonardo Constantino, assured that with his presence he wanted to “incarnate the support of the Argentine State for Federico’s family and the condemnation of my country for this act of extreme violence against an Argentine compatriot, who also had the nationality French”.
A year later, “the injustice is infinite, the anger and the misunderstanding remain the same,” estimated Pierre Rabadan, deputy to the Paris mayor’s office, in charge of sports and also a former rugby player.
Federico Martin Aramburu with the Argentine shirt, in 2007
“Violence and ideas that have led to the worst, here, will always be fought. The fight against the extreme right, racism, hatred, identity ideology, will always be at the center of our values ”, closed the Parisian official.
Finally, a plaque in memory of Aramburu was unveiled in the bar where he was assassinated.
The life of the former player of the Argentine national team was linked to rugby since its inception. At the age of 19, he made his debut at CASI, one of the clubs with the longest tradition of the discipline in Argentina. After five years, he moved to France to play for Biarritz Olympique, a team that plays in the Top 14, the first division of the French league. That same 2004 season was when he made his debut at Los Pumas in a match against Chile.
I was 42 years old
With the national team he had 22 appearances and achieved eight tries, but perhaps the most remembered by all was the one he achieved in the match for third place in the 2007 World Cup against France. With just over 52 minutes of play to go, Argentina led 17-3 and Aramburu capped off a play that was voted one of the 10 best tries in history by World Rugby.
In his international experience, the 42-year-old former player was a two-time French rugby champion with Biarritz in the 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 seasons. He then went on to play for USA Perpignan (2006-2008) and US Dax (2008-2010) until he moved to Scotland to play for Glasgow Warriors (2010-2012).
After his retirement, Aramburu decided to stay and live in Biarritz, where he worked as a club leader and also undertook other tasks as a tourism and wine-producing businessman, for which he sometimes visited the province of Mendoza.
Keep reading:
The crime of the former Puma Aramburu: the crude account of a witness and the key information he provided “I didn’t want it to happen like this”: the shocking statement of the woman arrested for the murder of the former Puma Aramburu
:quality(85)//cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/infobae/WCO54STDPJDMJD4VPQHY4SFZ7I.jpg)
:quality(85)//cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/infobae/L6ILQWPOOBADJLKSVVALZ7ZEEY.jpeg)
:quality(85)//cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/infobae/5LTF2AKAUFA67DOES5YALA2NXE.jpg&description=Sports%20figures%20paid%20tribute%20to%20the%20former%20Puma%20who%20was%20assassinated%20in%20Paris%20a%20year%20ago){kind=link}