As a way to appease anger for a few hours and cry out one’s pain, hundreds of people responded for a white march, this Sunday, November 3 in Alenya (Pyrénées-Orientales), after the death of young Emilio, beaten in the family home ten days ago.
At the head of the procession, his closest friendscoming largely from Saint-Cyprien, where Emilio had been educated at the Olibo college.
More than 500 people
At 2 p.m., the march set off from the town hall, heading to Emilio’s house where his body was found. 800 meters to go, under the security of municipal police officers deployed this All Saints’ Day weekend.
A quick walk to the pavilion, then the procession formed in a semi-circle so that everyone could approach and say goodbye to the teenager. Dozens of white roses were placed in front of the gate, candles lit around the portrait of the young man, while others preferred to slip letters into the gaps in the fence.
The mayor of Alenya, Jean-André Magdalou followed the procession, behind the relatives but salutes “a very nice participation so that this boy does not leave in silence”. “Everyone here feels very concerned, many residents are present even if they did not necessarily know this family, simply because it is a story of violence and that is significant” testifies the chosen one.
Clothilde Petticoat
“Emilio, I love you my brother, I will never forget you”
Emilio’s father, who has been fighting for almost five years to regain custody of his children, was also present. He did not wish to speak in front of the crowd but had words of comfort for the many young people. “You will have to be strong, you lose a friend and I lose a friend too” he whispered to them.
Two of the teenager’s classmates finally took the microphone to speak “in the name of Emilio” and thank all the people who came to show their support, before being quickly overtaken by sobs. “Emilio, he was my best friend… Emilio, I love you my brother, I will never forget you” one of his closest friends shouted in pain. “He was a good boy who didn’t deserve to go through all that. We had a lot of good times. I really hope he’s better up there and happy again.” testified, her voice brimming with tears, another teenager.
All are still in shock. If some admit to having seen “his behavior has changed lately” or “that he sometimes arrived with a few bruises”among young people, no one expected this tragedy. For the moment, no psychological support is in place for the students of Saint-Cyprien who will return to school this Monday, after two weeks of vacation marked by the death of their former friend.
On the parents’ side, anger wins: “At some point, they’re going to need to confide!” worries one of the mothers, when her daughter fears the empty chair in her class: “I think it will be another shock to me not to see him tomorrow, or any of the next few days.”
“Today he is deprived of his son forever”
The emotion is also palpable among the friends of Damien Varin, Emilio’s biological father. “He was fighting to get his children back, and today he is deprived of his son forever” cries one of them. Others would not have never imagined that the mother could harm Emilio. “She is about ten years older than me, she seemed very calm… childminder in Saint-Cyprien. And today, she is accused of murdering her son” A neighbor is still stunned.
As the investigation continues, Emilio’s mother and stepfather are indicted for murder of a 15-year-old minor and placed in pre-trial detention in Perpignan, pending their trial. Monday, the autopsy confirmed that the teenager had been the victim of numerous violenceall over the body, and that these blows had led to death. The date of the funeral has not yet been announced.
