Around 8,000 people, according to the prefect of Indre Thibault Lanxade, took part in a moving white march in Châteauroux on Saturday in tribute to young Matisse, 15, killed with a knife by a teenager of the same age on April 27.
The white march covered symbolic places in Matisse’s life, including his elementary school, his father’s restaurant and the one in which the teenager did his apprenticeship.
At the head of the procession, the banner “Matisse a real nice guy”, in pink (his favorite color) was displayed with a photo of him and a football. The march ended shortly after 4:30 p.m. with a release of balloons, while those close to Matisse embraced each other during a time of contemplation. Hundreds of white or pink roses were left in front of Matisse’s father’s restaurant.
“The teenager died from his injuries on April 27, after several stab wounds during a “brawl” that occurred in the Saint-Denis district, according to the public prosecutor of Bourges. His alleged attacker was indicted Monday evening for “murder” and placed in pre-trial detention, and his mother, aged 37 and suspected of having “slapped the injured victim”, was indicted for “intentional violence” against “vulnerable person” .
Matisse’s murder comes after a new wave of violence between young people, such as the fatal beating in Viry-Châtillon (Essonne) of Shemseddine, 15, and in the middle of the campaign for the European elections. In this context, the Afghan nationality of the two indicted – in a legal situation in France – has led several figures from the right and the extreme right to denounce the government’s “migratory policy”.
On social networks, personal data of the suspect and his parents are shared, AFP noted. Given “pressures” and the presence of “very young children” within this family, the prefect of Indre assured that “means were implemented to secure them from Thursday evening”.
Matisse
