The emotion is still very strong in Annecy. Hundreds of people paid tribute to the victims of the knife attack on Sunday, June 11 in Annecy, which left six injured on Thursday, including four very young children now out of danger.
Under a radiant sun, the Pâquier, a vast promenade located on the shores of the lake of the city, was around 11 am crowded for this "citizen gathering" organized by the City, noted an AFP journalist. It was in his children's park that the drama unfolded on Thursday.
The audience present, with serious faces, was very diverse: families, young or old. Many had laid flowers on the playground, which were added to dozens of bouquets.
"Alba, Ennio, Ettie, Peter, a little thought," says a message to the little victims written in a heart on a kindergarten bench.
"We will face it together"
"It is a strong sign of unity and solidarity to find us all together," said the ecologist mayor of Annecy, François Astorg. The song "Parlez-moi d'amour" by Juliette Gréco was played in the background.
"We are together. We will face it together," added the mayor, warmly applauded like rescuers present Thursday. The crowd then sang the "Marseillaise".
The assailant, a Syrian refugee who recently left his host country, Sweden, after years of family life, was indicted for "assassination attempts" and placed in pre-trial detention on Saturday but remained silent on the reasons for his action.
He was placed in solitary confinement at the prison of Aiton, in Savoie, told AFP a source close to the case.
The vital prognosis of the six wounded, most of whom were hospitalized in absolute emergency after the attack, is no longer engaged, the prosecutor announced Saturday.
A 2-year-old boy, shot in the stomach and chest, is still being treated in Grenoble, as is a little girl of the same age, treated for "three chest wounds". Hit by a knife, a 3-year-old British tourist will be able to leave the hospital in Grenoble "in the coming days". Finally, a 22-month-old Dutch girl is still being treated in Geneva for three stab wounds, according to the magistrate.
A 73-year-old Portuguese walker, stabbed three times and then hit by police gunfire during the arrest, "could be heard by investigators". More lightly injured, the other adult, a 78-year-old Frenchman, had quickly returned home.
Ordinary heroes
At Sunday's rally, Annecy Mayor Francois Astorg paid tribute to all those who, during the attack, "acted with courage and professionalism".
Among these ordinary heroes, two municipal agents tried to stop the attacker with shovels, a young pedal boat rental and a math teacher on an outing with students tried to intervene, a childminder rushed to rescue two injured children, a young Catholic tourist chased the attacker...
President Emmanuel Macron had already expressed his "gratitude" and "pride" on Friday during an official ceremony held at the prefecture of Haute-Savoie. He had lingered with Henri, the young Catholic pilgrim, celebrated on social networks as "the hero with the backpack".
The hashtag #MerciHenri has become an antiphon on far-right accounts, very focused, too, by the hashtag #francocide, a term used in particular by Eric Zemmour. On the evening of the attack, a few dozen ultra-right activists met in the park and then in the streets of Annecy chanting "Blue, white, red, France to the French".
Specifically targeted by hate messages, the mayor of Annecy filed a complaint against X Saturday morning for "intimidation" and "defamation", we learned from his services.
After fleeing his war-torn country, Abdalmasih H. was granted permanent residence in Sweden at the end of 2013, where he was granted asylum, which gave him refugee status.
"No terrorist motivation appears at this stage," according to the prosecutor. Witnesses only heard him "talk about his wife and daughter and say the name of Jesus Christ" during the attack.
With AFP
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