Air France ‘rogues’ sentenced for attack on airline executives

Three of 15 workers charged in Paris over their part in a riot that left executives of the French flag carrier fleeing for safety have been sentenced.

The Air France director of human resources Xavier Broseta, right, and Air France assistant director of long-haul flights Pierre Plissonnier, centre, are protected by a police officer as they flee Air Show more

Three former Air France workers, described as “rogues” by the French prime minister Manuel Valls, were found guilty on Wednesday for their role in the infamous shirt-ripping gate, when their bosses were stripped half-naked during a protest over job cuts.

Appearing in court in northeast Paris, three defendants were given suspended prison sentences of three to four months over the attack in October 2015 that left one executive naked to the waist and another with his shirt and jacket in tatters.

Images of the incident in France hit screens around the world, showing bare-chested human resources chief Xavier Broseta trying to scale a fence after being chased out of a meeting about restructuring proposals at the troubled airline.

Another executive, Pierre Plissonnier, also had his shirt and jacket ripped in the incident on October 5, 2015, which arose from a dispute over the aviation giant’s plans to cut 2,900 jobs.

The 15 workers went on trial in September and the judgements were being handed out on Wednesday.

Five of the defendants were charged with “organised violence”, punishable by up to three years in prison and a €45,000 (Dh175,845) fine if convicted. Another 10 faced lesser charges in the two-day trial.

Air France, which employs around 55,000 people, has scrapped the restructuring plan but still faces tensions with pilots and flight crews that staged strikes in late July.

Air France-KLM returned to profit last year after seven years of losses, but faces stiff competition from Asian and Gulf airlines as well as new low-cost long-haul alternatives.

* Agencies

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