From our special correspondent in Arras,
The tribute was supposed to relieve some of the trauma. It turned into a physical evacuation after a bomb threat. A meeting was planned for this Monday morning between the prefect of Pas-de-Calais and the staff of the Gambetta-Carnot school complex in Arras, after the terrorist attack that occurred at the middle school this Friday. The meeting was quickly cut short. The prefect gave the order to evacuate the premises after an anonymous phone call. An alert which reinforced feelings of anger and incomprehension.
“As if that wasn’t enough, it’s nonsense to do that,” said Marie-Pierre, an Arrageoise who came to pay tribute to Dominique Bernard, the murdered teacher. Her bouquet in hand, she waits for the green light from the police to be able to place the flowers in front of the high school: “I am a stranger, but my children studied in this high school. I wanted to collect myself. Quite simply. »
“I couldn’t help but come”
At his side, Jessica is just as moved. She lives in Rœux, another village near Arras: “I couldn’t help but come. My son is in college so obviously, it affects me. » Like Marie-Pierre or Jessica, dozens of students, teachers and residents of Arras and its surroundings came this Monday to lay a flower, early in the morning, to show their solidarity.
The florist, located 200 m from the Gambetta high school, was also robbed of all its white roses. At 11 a.m., there were no more, as a group of four high school girls noticed. “This morning, from 9 a.m., high school students were queuing to buy them. We very quickly found ourselves out of stock,” explains the manager, Ginette Dekoninck.
The tributes began on Saturday and Sunday. “In two days, I sold more than 1,000 white roses. Fortunately I had stock. I had to restock this morning in Lille from my wholesaler, but it wasn’t enough. We are taken by surprise. » On the door handle, a black ribbon is hung. “It is the symbol to show that the traders of Arras are in mourning,” further indicates Ginette Dekoninck.
“Suddenly he fainted”
Romain and Gabriel*, second year students at Gambetta, came from Neuville-Saint-Vaast, a village located 10 km from Arras, to also “wear mourning”. “We are a little apprehensive despite having time over the weekend to digest,” admits Romain. He saw the scene of attack, in the school courtyard, on another teacher. “It’s like a trauma,” he murmurs. A little further on, Benjamin* could not bear the weight of the emotion. Sitting on a bench, a feeling of uneasiness seized him. Her boyfriend, Robin, immediately intervened. “He started crying and suddenly he fainted. He no longer answered me,” he tells 20 minutes. Emergency response. Benjamin will be evacuated in a Civil Security ambulance.
A few minutes later, the news is reassuring. “He woke up, he’s better,” Robin tells us, a little relieved. And the young man comments: “we are at the Savary-Ferry high school which is located a little further away. We learned that it was in front of our high school that the killer’s brother was arrested. We heard that he also wanted to attack our school. Obviously, we’ve been a little scared since then. »
“Abuses on secularism had been reported”
Fear is also the feeling that dominates Sophie Dumont, professor of History and Geography at Gambetta. Fear and anxiety. “We live, not even day by day, but hour by hour. We do things mechanically and at some point, we can no longer do it, she testifies. I don’t know yet if I could teach normally. » A teacher for thirty years in this high school, she has difficulty coping: “I had psychological treatment on Saturday morning to no longer see these scenes which seem surreal to me, but, at the same time, hyper-realistic. Now, we will have to hold out over time, when media interest dies down. »
According to her, the suspect, Mohammed M., had already been talked about when he was in middle and high school. “I never had it in class, but I heard about it,” she remembers. There had been many reports from my colleagues. Abuses on secularism had been reported. It goes back to the rectorate. Afterwards, we don’t know what happens. Apparently, it doesn’t become much. »
*First names have been changed.