"I was listened to": received at the Élysée, Lindsay's mother appreciates Brigitte Macron's support

David Montagné with AFP / Photo credit: DENIS CHARLET / AFP 20:22 pm, June 07, 2023

"I was listened to," Betty Gervois, the mother of Lindsay, the teenager victim of school bullying who committed suicide in the Pas-de-Calais, after being received by Brigitte Macron at the Elysee, told reporters Wednesday. At the end of the meeting, which lasted a little less than two hours, the mother of the teenager, who committed suicide on May 12 at the age of 13 after acts of school bullying, also said she was "heard and supported" by the First Lady. "She was received with humanity," added her lawyer, Pierre Debuisson. "It was a conversation between a mom and another mom."

A collaboration between Betty Gervois and Brigitte Macron

During this interview, issues related to protection against online harassment were widely discussed, the lawyer said. A collaboration should also be set up between Betty Gervois and Brigitte Macron, who "asks Lindsay's mother to be able to work with her hand in hand to continue this fight by concrete measures," added the lawyer. The possibility of her becoming an "ambassador for the pHARe programme" to combat bullying was raised, he said.

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The meeting took place two days after a meeting between Lindsay's parents and Education Minister Pap Ndiaye, at the end of which the latter expressed their disappointment, saying the minister had not been "sincere". Brigitte Macron, a former teacher, is particularly mobilized in the fight against bullying and cyberbullying.