Everyone remembers the faces of Joëlle Aubron, Nathalie Ménigon, Jean-Marc Rouillan and Georges Cipriani from the wanted posters and images of their arrest in 1987. They are the embodiment of the Action Directe group. Yet its Lyon branch, just as violent, remains little-known… Formed by André Olivier, a teacher expelled from the French education system for his political radicalism, the group numbered around ten individuals. Alongside the extremist teacher was Maxime Frérot, one of his former pupils, who lived in hiding from 1980 to 1986. Together, they were responsible for some 30 robberies, bombings and murders in the Lyon area, which was targeted by major corporations such as Elf, Rhône-Poulenc and Renault. Beyond this record, the story of this branch also tells of the gradual drift of a post ’68 ultra-left movement until the arrest of its members, which led to the first trial of a terrorist group in France.
With this groundbreaking investigation, Richard Schittly lifts the veil on a story—rich in events, personalities and constant twists and turns—that has never before been told. Through legal archives and a series of interviews with key players and eyewitnesses, the entire social and political context of the leaden years is brought to light.
