At Élysée, a continuous stream of anonymous pays homage to Jacques Chirac

Alone, as a couple or family, several hundred people have been crowding since Thursday evening at the Elysee Palace to pay a personal tribute to the former President of the Republic, Jacques Chirac, who died on the morning of September 26th.

The presidency has set up in the vestibule four "golden books" available to those who wish to write a word. From the opening of the palace doors, Thursday at 21 hours, a long queue quickly formed. In total, more than 700 people made the trip in the evening, until 3 o'clock in the morning. On Friday, the parade resumed its course: French and foreigners of all ages, queuing to enter the Courtyard of the Elysee, under flags at half mast, and access, under the gaze of the Republican guards, in the vestibule of honor.

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"We had to be there, he was a great man who had an incredible destiny and who had a love of France and the French," says Isabelle, proud to have been a member of the RPR Youth at the beginning. of the 1980s. "It's the end of an era and part of the history of politics that goes with it because we no longer do politics in the same way today", regrets- she.

Isabelle and her daughter Justine, come to sign the guest book in tribute to Jacques Chirac at the Élysée pic.twitter.com/5W2HY1bKwh

At his side, his daughter Justine, in her twenties, drinks his words. "It's all my childhood," she recalls, "my mother has told me a lot, a lot about Jacques Chirac, so come pay her last respects, with my mother, it's a beautiful symbol."

For many, Jacques Chirac belonged, with Charles de Gaulle and François Mitterrand in particular, to a club of politicians apart. His personality, his charisma, the way he embodied France abroad are frequently cited by the many anonymous people who came to pay tribute to him.

"He is a man who loved people, a humanist"

"It is with great emotion that I came to say goodbye to this great gentleman who was the last of the great.It's all my youth that goes with him", testifies Youssef, a Moroccan of 40 years traveling to Paris for professional reasons. "He was a man of peace, a visionary, he believes, if Mr. Bush had listened to him [when the president of the United States decided to invade Iraq in 2003], we would not be in this situation today is a man who loved people, a humanist. "

"I especially remember his closeness with the French, including and especially with the 'little people', and his humanity", abounds Hervé, a pensioner came alone and who had taken care to prepare the draft what he wanted to write in the Golden Book.

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Others, among the signatories, had the chance to meet the former president and keep in mind a personal anecdote. Ivan, 43, has witnessed his visit to an association that helps abused children and in which he was a volunteer. "He had come on a private visit, without fanfare, he was a humble person, I felt his human presence, attentive to others, I was marked," he said with emotion.

Coming to sign the guest book in tribute to Jacques Chirac at the Elysee, Ivan retains two highlights of his presidency: pic.twitter.com/2m9KYqNsqa

Beyond the human qualities of Jacques Chirac, some highlights of his presidency come back: his opposition to the war in Iraq, his message on the protection of the environment with his famous phrase "Our house burns and we look elsewhere" , almost always quoted by the people interviewed, and finally the speech of the Vel d'Hiv.

>> To see: "Death of Jacques Chirac: ceremonies planned until Monday"

"He will remain as the French president who has acknowledged the responsibility of France in the deportation of Jews, said Roman, came with his son of 4. Although the political record of Jacques Chirac is far from perfect, his speech of Vel d'Hiv is undoubtedly one of the most outstanding in the history of the Fifth Republic, so I wanted to pay tribute to him. "

The guest books are available until Sunday afternoon at the Elysee. As of Monday, the device should be installed in Invalides, according to the presidency of the Republic.