• Managed on a case-by-case basis, the process of compensating victims of the November 13 attacks is proving particularly complex.

  • While the majority of the 2,593 direct and indirect victims of the Paris attacks have already received an offer of compensation, some denounce an approach that is too “administrative” and difficult to understand on the part of the Guarantee Fund for Victims of Acts of Terrorism ( FGTI).

  • Aware of the suffering that this process of financial reparation can cause, the FGTI defends an individualized system that is unique in Europe and more “just” for the victims.

For Philippe Duperron, “it's an impossible equation”. President of the association "13onze15", he lost his son, Thomas, during the attacks of November 13, 2015. Like the 2,592 other direct and indirect victims of the terrorist attacks in Paris and Saint-Denis, Philippe Duperron and his wife were supported by the FGTI, the Victims Guarantee Fund, responsible for compensating them. “The offer made to us for the loss of imminent fear of death corresponded to the minimum amount set by the Fund's schedules. We were not given any explanation to justify this amount. I wrote a letter to understand how this amount had been set, and I was told that these criteria depended on our file, ”he explains.

Supported by a lawyer, Thomas's father refused this offer and decided to contest his entire case before the compensation judge for victims of terrorist attacks.

According to the FGTI, 5% of cases are now the subject of litigation.

More than five years after the events, several victims now point to the ambivalent role played by the guarantee fund.

"He claims support and support for victims of an attack and, at the same time, it is he who must set the amounts of compensation," said Philippe Duperron.

A "permanent fight"

If he recognizes the preciousness of the FGTI, Arthur Denouveaux, president of the other association of victims of the attacks of November 13, “Life for Paris”, shares Philippe Duperron's analysis. “The Fund is supposed to make full reparation for the damage caused by the terrorist attacks. However, it behaves too often like an insurer, which it is not supposed to be, since it is an organ of national solidarity ”, supports the young man. Recently questioned on social networks by some victims, the FGTI published on Wednesday May 5 an inventory of the compensation for victims of November 13, 2015. “The Fund has issued a final compensation offer to 2,334 victims. For the major part of them, that is to say 1,629 people victims, the compensation is today finished ”, specifies the press release.

On the other hand, 705 victims did not accept the offer made to them. This is the case with Fred Dewilde. At 55, this graphic designer, who spent nearly two hours in the Bataclan pit on the evening of November 13, has so far received the equivalent of 50,500 euros in provisions. But he deplores the "permanent fight" imposed on the victims to obtain fair compensation. Professional damage is, according to him, poorly taken into account and undervalued. “The attacks affected my salary, my work, my personal and family life. The stress I suffered is such that I can no longer have a professional life. I am 55 years old and I still have to contribute for my retirement! And the FGTI replied: "You can draw, you have published a comic, so you can work!" He chokes on the phone.

Hello everyone, I'm pushing my rant.

This is no longer tolerable, almost 6 years since November 13.

Everything exists to help us, but it is with the teeth that we must fight to obtain it in addition to the fight to live of course.

pic.twitter.com/7uMJyjgfcP

- Fred Dewilde (@DewildeFred) April 26, 2021

Professional damage difficult to assess

Other similar cases have been reported to Arthur Denouveaux, the president of "Life for Paris".

“When the attacks led to a change towards a much less lucrative career, the Fund sometimes replied that it was the result of personal will and had the consequence of offering a less stressful and more pleasant living environment for the person. concerned, ”he explains.

Contacted by 

20 Minutes,

the Director General of the FGTI, Julien Rencki said he was aware of the suffering that the compensation process can cause: “It will, by definition, never be equal to the physical and psychological suffering endured by the victims. We know this, and that is why we are committed to providing the best possible support to each of the victims. "

According to our information, nearly a third of the direct victims supported by the Fund are or have already been compensated for the professional damage suffered. But the director admits, these evaluations are particularly complex: “When a victim changes jobs several years after the attack, is that a consequence of the attack? How to evaluate it? There is no obvious answer, and we always proceed on a case-by-case basis with the concern for fair compensation, ”explains Julien Rencki.

To improve this care, Arthur Denouveaux pleads for the integration of compensated victims into the Board of Directors of the Fund: "We are lucky to have this tool, but the governance of the FGTI does not encourage returns from victims. experience, and that's a shame.

There should be positions reserved for people who have gone through this process.

Because today, on substantive issues, dialogue is sorely lacking.

"

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  • Society

  • Paris

  • Bataclan

  • Daesh

  • Compensation

  • Terrorist attacks in Paris

  • Terrorism

  • Jihadism