Around 150 people, including many elected officials, gathered at the start of the afternoon in front of the Maison Carrée in Nîmes.
It was ten years ago to the day! On January 7, 2015, France was bruised. The satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo was targeted by two Islamist terrorists who murdered a total of 12 people, including cartoonists and journalists. Ten years later, no one has forgotten this tragedy. All over France, tributes are multiplying throughout the day.
In Nîmes, the meeting was at 1 p.m. on the square in front of the Maison Carrée. A gathering at the initiative of Laïcité 30, Ufal (Union of Secular Families of Gard) and the Gard branch of Licra. Around 150 people gathered, including many Nîmes elected officials, proudly wearing the tricolor scarf. Franck Proust, president of Nîmes métropole was present on the front line as was Julien Plantier, first deputy to the city of Nîmes.
“An idea cannot be killed”
Richard Schieven, Daniel-Jean Valade, Véronique Gardeur-Bancel, Chantal May, Nicolas Rainville, Christophe Pio, Mylène Mouton, Valentine Wolber and Aurélie Prohin were also on hand to represent the municipality. Centrist opposition elected official Valérie Rouverand also joined this tribute, as did Amal Couvreur, vice-president of the Department. Only representatives of the organizing associations spoke.
The gathering took place at 1 p.m. at the Maison Carrée • Photo Corentin Corger
“If the Kouachi brothers thought they had killed Charlie, they simply succeeded in creating the idea 'Je suis Charlie'. You can't kill an ideawanted to remind Laurent Poulain, president of Laïcité 30, “we are still Charlie. It is important to rekindle this flame. Je suis Charlie, it is not necessarily being a reader of a satirical weekly, but it is the state of mind, this freedom of tone.”
On January 11, 2015, more than 30,000 people gathered in Nîmes, a few days after this attack. This Tuesday's tribute ended with a Marseillaise performed in chorus by the elected officials and citizens present (see below).
