Far from any political unrest, the funeral of little Lola began Monday in Lillers (Pas-de-Calais) in the presence of several hundred people who came to pay their last respects to the 12-year-old girl, whose savage murder upset the country. The family had decided to open the funeral to the public, while reaffirming again on Sunday evening its desire to “honor the memory” of Lola “in serenity”, “respect and dignity”.
The white coffin, adorned with a bouquet of white flowers, was carried inside the church around 1:45 p.m., followed by his parents, brothers, loved ones and a crowd of anonymous people in an emotional silence. , then some musical notes. The burial in the cemetery of Lillers, a town of 10,000 inhabitants from which his mother originates, must take place “in the strictest privacy”.
Among the relatives were neighbors from rue Manin, in Paris, where the girl lived, as well as friends from the campsite in Pas-de-Calais where the family spent their holidays. Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, Secretary of State for Children, Charlotte Caubel, and other elected officials, including RN deputy for the constituency Caroline Parmentier, were also present in the town church, the Saint-Omer collegiate church, which can accommodate 500 people.
Support
Outside, dozens of people were gathered to listen to the mass, celebrated by the bishop of Arras, Mgr Olivier Leborgne, thanks to a sound system. Among them, Sabine Vizenski, in tears, came with her three grandchildren. “It was my grandchildren, Lola’s age, who asked to come,” she said. “We are here to show our support as best we can. “I drove 30 minutes, it was very important for me”, confides, further, Thomas Maillot, 55 years old. “To do that to a kid that age…there are no words.” »
The tragic circumstances of the death of the child, abused, asphyxiated and found on October 14 in a trunk in the courtyard of his building, aroused great emotion in the country. From the gates of his residence to the mailboxes of the municipalities where his relatives lived, thousands of anonymous people sent their condolences. “Thank you all for your support,” Lola’s mother wrote in a Facebook post shared more than 20,000 times. In front of the family’s Parisian home, a few people continued to gather on Monday, near a low wall covered with hundreds of bouquets, messages or even small paintings representing the hands of children.