November 13 trial: cathartic testimonies and tribute to the victims

For many civil parties, testifying during the trial of the November 13 attacks was a case of catharsis but also an opportunity to pay tribute to the victims.

here, the commemorative plaque in front of the entrance to the Bataclan, September 3, 2021. © Thomas Coex, AFP

Text by: RFI Follow

1 min

At the trial of the attacks of November 13, 2015, the survivors and relatives of the victims of the Bataclan continued to tell the horror of the attack and their difficulties in rebuilding, this Thursday, October 14.

While Veronique came to recall the memory of her daughter Claire, and the pain of not having had any details about the death of her only daughter whom she raised alone, the survivor Marie also demanded to tell the horrors of the attack and see a friend die in his arms.

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With

Véronique spoke of the pain of the loss which " 

 ", she repeated several times during the hearing of the

. To this was added that of having had to wait until November 19 to see the death of his daughter confirmed, and of still not knowing the circumstances of her death six years later, despite numerous reminders to the medical institute. legal (IML). Witnessing was a necessity for her.

It is neither a relief nor an outcome. It is something that I had to do, for my daughter, as a mission also that I had fixed for myself, to remain standing during all these years, not to give up or to be too devastated by sorrow. . What was important to me was to honor my daughter, that her name be mentioned, that we can see who she was. My heart is devoured, this fresco appeared to me like that, and it's not just my heart: my head too, all my limbs. This image is due to the quest for truth, which is so intense… And then this feeling of abandonment, compared to what my daughter was able to live: not knowing how she died, if the agony was long… What devoured my heart was to feel that she had been abandoned. Even I feel like I abandoned her toosince I was not able to knock on the doors of the IML loud enough to be heard, when I had to try to understand for myself, to move… And it devoured me entirely .

For Véronique, testifying at the November 13 trial was a "mission" for her only daughter, who died at the Bataclan.

Laura Martel

Among

, Marie told how " 

 ", said in particular with emotion this young woman with hair strewn with pink locks, evoking a dead friend in her arms.

Despite the extent

, she was keen to be an “ 

 ” and not an “ 

 ” in this trial.

All I wanted was to be listed in the minutes of the trial, for my friend who died in my arms to be listed as well. It seemed quite important to me, I would like us to register everyone who has been impacted. My life was destroyed, I concluded my intervention by the fact that my life force remained in the Bataclan, and that I am a heap of ashes. It's a pretty figure of speech for some but that's really my feeling, and I have a big doubt that I'm the only one. So I hope that it will help the victims who did not have the energy to testify, I hope that it will help the public to understand what is happening, and to advance the public authorities on the management of trauma psychological. For the testimonies, it's done: it was a big piece,but as I was an actress in this drama, I did not want to be an extra in the trial.

Marie, survivor of the Bataclan, wanted to be an “actress” and not an “extra” in the November 13 trial

Laura Martel

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