After the astonishment, mobilization. Victim of a burglary and acts of vandalism on Saturday in one of its main warehouses in Isère, Secours populaire saw an influx of pledges of donations on Tuesday.
Three days after the discovery of the intrusion into this vast hangar located on the outskirts of Echirolles, near Grenoble, Secours populaire officials are still listing the damage, estimated at this stage at “between 300,000 and 400,000 euros”. according to Nabil Chetouf, departmental secretary general.
Damaged vans, ripped pallets, stolen cables
“I am deeply shocked,” declared the president of the departmental council Jean-Pierre Barbier, who came on Tuesday to announce the release of exceptional aid of 50,000 euros. “I discovered scenes of desolation because there are no other words after the act of theft and vandalism that took place here,” he said.
On the floor of the building, which has a deliberately neutral appearance, a chaos of objects of all kinds, children’s boots, clothes, toys, litter the ground, torn from the pallets where they were stored for future distribution.
Two new vans were “stripped apart” to salvage their engines and valuable parts and are now unusable. Finally, the building itself was damaged, the copper cables stolen, the electrical box broken, officials told the press, who also indicated that they had filed a complaint.
Several pledges
“It happens that a fund disappears, even the federation has been robbed, but this is more than theft, it’s looting. They literally ripped open all the pallets to see what was inside,” laments Ali Karakivrik, departmental coordinator of solidarity actions. “These are months of activity which make it possible to finance Secours populaire which are being undermined,” he notes, recalling that the association provides aid to 30,000 people in Isère.
The Echirolles town hall, for its part, set up a collection for the association and donations were also announced from the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region (50,000 euros), from Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale (100,000 euros) and the Grenoble Metropolis.
“It’s really a tough time (but) this mobilization warms our hearts,” commented the secretary general of the department. “There are a lot of people who need us and this is not the time to say ‘we can’t because we were robbed.’ It’s not an answer +,” he said.