Inès Zeghloul (in Annecy) / Photo credit: OLIVIER CHASSIGNOLE / AFP 09:05, June 11, 2023

Three days after the knife attack in Annecy that injured six people, including four children, the emotion is still very strong. This Sunday, a citizen rally is organized in support of the victims and their loved ones. Several thousand people are expected.

Three days after the knife attack, it is time for contemplation in Annecy. The town hall organizes this Sunday, late morning, a citizen rally in support of the victims and their relatives. The vital prognosis of the two adults and four injured children is no longer engaged, but on the spot, the emotion is still very strong.

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Some lay teddy bears, others sit on the benches. This morning again, Annecy men and women gather in silence near the slides of the playground they know so well, now sad Way of the Cross. "I've been playing it since I was little, I knew it with old swings. This is the place where nothing could happen," one resident recalled.

"A place where innocence must reign"

"What happened is really a nightmare, this is where I have taken my son since he was born. I want to cry because this is a place where innocence must reign and not what happened Thursday morning," adds another, sobs in her voice. "When you have children, you can't help but put yourself in the shoes of the parents to whom it happened. It's unimaginable," insists an Annecy woman.

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Only the laughter of the children already back breaks the tranquility of the park, precisely where the rally in support of the victims will be held shortly. "We received a lot of requests from people who wanted to meet spontaneously," says Alexandre Mulatier-Gachet, first deputy mayor of Annecy. "There will be a singer from Annecy who will come with a music box and will sing a song, it will be really a moving moment. Life goes on, but we must not forget what happened during this dramatic event."

As a final tribute, a fresco full of colors made by two Mexican artists, will also be unveiled. The town hall expects a gathering of a few thousand people. Regarding the investigation, the attacker was indicted for attempted murder and placed in detention, although his motives are still unknown.