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French Court Upholds Charge Against Lafarge Over Syria

An exterior view of the Lafarge Cement plant, owned by LafargeHolcim, in the central England village of Cauldon, Britain, September 17, 2021. REUTERS/John Geddie/ File Photo Acquire Licensing Rights
An exterior view of the Lafarge Cement plant, owned by LafargeHolcim, in the central England village of Cauldon, Britain, September 17, 2021. REUTERS/John Geddie/ File Photo Acquire Licensing Rights
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French Court Upholds Charge Against Lafarge Over Syria

An exterior view of the Lafarge Cement plant, owned by LafargeHolcim, in the central England village of Cauldon, Britain, September 17, 2021. REUTERS/John Geddie/ File Photo Acquire Licensing Rights
An exterior view of the Lafarge Cement plant, owned by LafargeHolcim, in the central England village of Cauldon, Britain, September 17, 2021. REUTERS/John Geddie/ File Photo Acquire Licensing Rights

France's top appeals court on Tuesday ruled that cement maker Lafarge could be charged with complicity in crimes against humanity over alleged payoffs to militant groups during Syria's civil war.

Lafarge, now part of Swiss building materials conglomerate Holcim, has acknowledged that it paid nearly 13 million euros ($14.2 million at current rates) to middlemen to keep its Syrian cement factory running in 2013 and 2014, long after other French firms had pulled out of the country.

The company contends that it had no responsibility for the money winding up in the hands of terrorist groups -- which allegedly included ISIS -- and in 2019 a court threw out the charge of complicity in crimes against humanity.

But that ruling was subsequently overturned by France's supreme court, a decision that became final with Tuesday's decision by the country's highest appeals court.

However, the court threw out an earlier charge of endangering the lives of others, saying French law could not be applied to Syrians working in the factory.

Lafarge pulled out foreign staff at its Syrian site in 2012 but kept local workers in place until 2014, when the site was evacuated just before ISIS took it over.

Several Syrian staff and NGOs filed a legal complaint against Lafarge, and France's judiciary opened a probe in 2017.

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Vehicle Smashes Through Illinois Building, Killing 4 Young People and Injuring Others

Police block a road leading to a building where a car smashed through during an after-school program, killing several people and injuring others, Monday, April 28, 2025, in Chatham, III. (AP Photo/ John O’Connor)
Police block a road leading to a building where a car smashed through during an after-school program, killing several people and injuring others, Monday, April 28, 2025, in Chatham, III. (AP Photo/ John O’Connor)
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Vehicle Smashes Through Illinois Building, Killing 4 Young People and Injuring Others

Police block a road leading to a building where a car smashed through during an after-school program, killing several people and injuring others, Monday, April 28, 2025, in Chatham, III. (AP Photo/ John O’Connor)
Police block a road leading to a building where a car smashed through during an after-school program, killing several people and injuring others, Monday, April 28, 2025, in Chatham, III. (AP Photo/ John O’Connor)

A car smashed through a building Monday afternoon, killing four young people and injuring several others during an after-school program in a small city outside of Springfield, Illinois, police said.

Officers responded at about 3:20 p.m. to calls about a vehicle ramming through the building, fatally hitting four people before exiting the other side, Chatham Police Department Deputy Chief Scott Tarter said.

Those killed were between the ages of 4 and 18, Illinois State Police said in an emailed statement. Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon identified the victims as “female students,” saying their identities will be released after family members are notified. Several other people were hurt and taken to hospitals, reported The Associated Press.

It wasn’t immediately known what led up to the crash or whether it was intentional.

Monday's crash is the latest instance of people driving vehicles into groups of people across the globe. Only two days earlier, a car plowed through a crowded street during a Filipino heritage festival in Vancouver, British Columbia, killing 11.

The Illinois driver, who was uninjured, was the sole occupant of the vehicle and was taken to a hospital for evaluation, Tarter said. Police haven't said if the driver was arrested or taken into custody.

“I am horrified and deeply saddened by the deaths of children and numerous injuries in Chatham this afternoon," Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said in a statement. “My heart is heavy for these families and the unimaginable grief they’re experiencing – something that no parent should ever have to endure.”

He said his office was monitoring the situation and was ready to lend support.

The struck building and facilities house Youth Needing Other Things Outdoors, which holds after-school programs and summer camps, according to its website.

As evening fell, police cars with lights flashing still blocked streets leading to the building. On its Facebook account, the Chatham Police Department asked for prayers.

“A terrible tragedy has occurred here that has affected all of us,” the message ended.

By Monday night, some members of the community and beyond had changed their Facebook profile photos to an image of a red ribbon and the words “Chatham Strong.”