” THANKS. » This word recurs in almost all the messages left in the collections for the attention of Gérard Collomb, who died on Saturday at the age of 76. This Monday, Lyon City Hall welcomed, at the request of the family, the coffin of the former mayor so that the public could pay him “a last tribute” before his funeral which will take place on Wednesday at the cathedral. Saint-Jean, in Old Lyon.
“We don’t really know if it will be possible to attend his funeral, there may be people there,” explains Moussa, 56 years old. Today was the perfect opportunity to say goodbye. I also want to thank the family for thinking of us, the Lyonnais, because we also needed a more intimate moment with this great mayor. He should also have a grandiose, national funeral. Living up to the man he was. »
Alongside this resident of Lyon, his wife, Nassima, 49, lets out a few tears while recalling how “close with people” Gérard Collomb was. “He was like a dad,” she says.
A “visionary” father
Nassima is not the only one to compare the former Minister of the Interior with a relative. Agnès, 55, who lives in the 5th arrondissement, will also remember him as “a father figure”. “He was a good guy, a simple, warm man, who knew how to listen to everyone and who took the time,” she says with an emotional smile, looking at his portrait projected above the coffin. . He really worried about how we were, even if we had just passed him on the street or in a queue at a supermarket. »
Henri-Raffi Krikorian, who “grew up with him”, confirms that he had “a paternalistic side”. “For the first time in my life, I just spoke to him in the note I wrote for him,” he confides. I have the impression that his death also marks a moment of emancipation. He was everyone’s dad, even those two years younger than him. »
For those who consider themselves a “travelling companion” of Gérard Collomb, the photo is not necessarily “well chosen”. “He never looked in that direction,” he emphasizes. His face was still turned to the other side, towards the front. He was a visionary father, who was ahead of his time and who helped make the city shine. »
A meeting between “this great mayor and his population”
The Vélo’V, the Confluence district or even the development of the banks… All the people we met this Monday afternoon cited “the major projects” carried out by the ex-mayor. “He sacrificed his life to restore light to Lyon at an international level, we can only pay tribute to him,” said Evelyne, 80, a Croix-Roussienne. She “came down on purpose” to thank him “for his investment and his commitment”. “He will remain marked in the city like Édouard Herriot,” she assures.
An observation shared by Grégory Doucet, current mayor of Lyon, who declared, before the opening of the atrium to the public, that Gérard Collomb “ [avait] left his indelible mark on our city, by working for twenty years for its development.” Thierry Philip, former mayor of the 3rd arrondissement of Lyon, also gave a speech, at the request of the family. “His wife Caroline wanted to create this meeting between this great mayor and his population,” he said. This man we called Gégé loved the Lyonnais and did not get the exit he deserved. He needed this recognition, it would have made him happy. » He added: “And we are in his house, he comes back there before leaving. At the moment of farewell, there is something that he takes with him: the love of Lyon, of Lyonnaises and Lyonnais. »
The atrium of the town hall will remain open to the public from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday and until the removal of the coffin, before the ceremony at Saint-Jean Cathedral, at 11 a.m., in the presence of President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne.