Sober ceremony in the presence of Emmanuel Macron and minute of silence on mondovision before the semi-final of the Blues: ten years later, Nice pays tribute on Tuesday to the victims of the attack which left 86 dead and more than 400 injured on July 14, 2016 on the Promenade des Anglais.
That evening, Tunisian Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel caused carnage by driving a 19-ton truck for almost two kilometers into the crowd, who had just watched the fireworks, before being shot dead by the police.
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It left in its wake dozens of bodies, people from Nice and visitors of all ages and faiths, decimating entire families. The youngest was two years old, the oldest 79 years old, around thirty were Muslims, almost half foreigners.
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In Nice on Tuesday, the day began with a Republican parade on Place Massena, the usual scene of carnival parades. Invited by her ally Éric Ciotti, UDR mayor of Nice, Marine Le Pen was warmly applauded.
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The presence of the RN presidential candidate was criticized by the Nice left, but also by an editorial in the daily Nice-Matin: “Memory and mourning call for silence and respect, not a communication operation hatched as a milestone towards the Élysée. »
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On the other hand, the time will be for unity during the memorial ceremony scheduled for 6 p.m. on the same square, where Mr. Macron, his predecessors François Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy, several ministers and former ministers, representatives of different parties and even Prince Albert II of Monaco will be present.
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“I was there on vacation ten years ago,” said Cassandra, a 30-year-old gendarme who now lives in Nice, while waiting with a Mexican friend to access the area dedicated to the public. “It’s still difficult to talk about it, but it was important to be there.”
The ceremony will begin with the broadcast of a video montage of testimonies from people present on the evening of the tragedy, then 43 children and 43 of the first rescuers and members of the police who arrived on the scene will place an olive branch on 86 blue chairs emblematic of the Promenade des Anglais, each engraved with the name of a victim.
“A date of mourning”
After a visit by the Patrouille de France, representatives of victims’ associations must speak, then Mr. Ciotti and finally Mr. Macron.
Most of the personalities plan to leave immediately, but the families of the victims and the public are invited to a concert of film music offered by the philharmonic orchestra in a nearby garden.
At the same time, in Arlington, near Dallas, the players and the stadium will observe a minute of silence in memory of the victims, before the 9 p.m. kick-off of the France-Spain semi-final of the Football World Cup.
In Dallas, several dozen French supporters have already observed a minute of silence and sang the Marseillaise in memory of the victims of Nice.
“July 14 is the national holiday. It is also, unfortunately, for several years, a date of mourning,” regretted Jules Koundé, defender of the France team, on Monday. Before flying to the United States, the Blues received 70 child victims of the attack for a time of discussions in Clairefontaine.
Enough to perhaps soothe a little the bitterness of many victims who have been carrying for 10 years the unpleasant impression that their suffering moves much less than that of the victims of the Paris attacks of 2015.
Including in Nice, where the terraces were full, the shopping streets were lively and where the “Prom” experienced a classic summer day between joggers, walkers, beach, parasailing and relaxation.
In the evening, however, the famous palm-lined avenue will take time to remember, with a show of 2,016 drones at 10 p.m. to evoke dignity and unity, then 86 blue beams will be aimed at the sky at 10:34 p.m., the time the truck was stopped.
