President Emmanuel Macron will chair Wednesday in Paris, alongside the King of Spain, the ceremony of the first National Day of Tribute to the victims of terrorism in France as well as to the French struck abroad. This ceremony, reduced to 900 people due to coronavirus, will now take place each year on March 11, the anniversary of the Madrid attacks in 2004, the deadliest in Europe since 1988. This date was also chosen in reference to European Day victims of the terrorism that already takes place on March 11. It will be preceded on Wednesday by a European tribute to Unesco.
This Day, provided for by a decree in November, will be added to the specific commemorations for certain attacks. It will be held at Trocadéro so as not to strike victims by emphasizing one attack rather than another, explained the Elysée. The Head of State will deliver a speech and meet with pupils of the Nation, while the King of Spain will meet Spanish and Franco-Spanish victims. During this tribute, medals will be awarded to 99 people, a form of recognition for the victims.
A controversy with a Nice association
"The ceremony was co-constructed with nine associations of victims," says the Elysee Palace, which wants to "not forget any victim since 1974", date of the attack on Carlos at the Drugstore Publicis. An attack is qualified as terrorist once this qualification given by the public prosecutor. The victims' guarantee fund, created in 1986 and funded by a contribution (of 5.90 euros) on all property insurance contracts, has compensated 11,000 victims for thirty-four years for 330 million euros.
One of the associations of the victims of the July 14, 2016 attack in Nice, Promenade des Anges, however announced Tuesday that it would boycott the ceremony. She protests against the presence among the organizers of François-Xavier Lauch, current chief of staff to Emmanuel Macron, who was chief of staff to the prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes at the time of the attack. He was placed under the status of assisted witness in the investigation of possible flaws in the security arrangements for the July 14 festivities.
However two other associations of victims of Nice, Memorial of the Angels and Life for Nice, participate well in the Day of homage, underlines the Elysée. The Elysée also argues that the ceremony was prepared under the aegis of the Interministerial Delegate for Aid to Victims, Elisabeth Pelsez, and the justice adviser to the Head of State, but that the meetings did not were chaired by François-Xavier Lauch who cannot therefore be described as a "co-organizer", as Promenade des Anges claims.
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