INTERVIEW
Two weeks after the attack, the funeral of bus driver Philippe Monguillot took place Monday afternoon in Bayonne. The ceremony gathered a crowd of more than a thousand people, including the widow and the three daughters of the victim, as well as many colleagues. Marlène Schiappa, the Minister Delegate to the Minister of the Interior responsible for Citizenship, also attended the funeral.
Philippe Monguillot had been violently attacked by travelers for having asked to wear a mask on July 5, before succumbing to his injuries a few days later. His death had aroused great emotion in the country, and a white march had gathered more than 6,000 people in Bayonne.
The widow's message, Véronique, to the elected officials: "Never again"
The crowd watched the ceremony on a giant screen from the outside. The health protocol only allowed 200 people to take their places in the Church. The priest who officiated knew Philippe Monguillot: he had celebrated his marriage to his wife Véronique more than 20 years ago. His widow, dressed in black, hardly spoke, in turn with her three daughters.
"I loved you, I love you and I will love you all my life. I would like to say one last thing for the elected officials and the authorities: 'never again', asked Véronique Monguillot, a message massively applauded by assistance, and in particular the bus drivers present at the funeral.
A surge of violence that still arouses misunderstanding
Jean-Jacques, a bus driver, wore a white t-shirt with the inscription: "Pour Philippe". "He was someone jovial, always pleasant and kind, smiling. The ceremony was like him, with Basque songs," he said, before expressing his anger in turn. "This violence must not continue to nibble on us little by little," he insists, before asking in turn: "Never again."
A message to which Véronique Monguillot returned, a few moments after the ceremony. "The 'never again' concerns everyone. We must really stop this massacre," insists the widow. Because in the audience, no one can understand this surge of violence. Some bus drivers say: "Inevitably, we will think about it when we go back to work".