White roses and 86 doves soaring into the sky in memory of the lives cut short: Nice commemorated this Wednesday “without hatred” the five years of an attack which targeted “the whole of France” on July 14, according to the Prime Minister Jean Castex.
Some 400 people, mostly victims and families of victims, gathered in the gardens of Villa Massena, a few steps from the Promenade des Anglais. It was on this famous seafront that, on July 14, 2016, a jihadist attack had transformed “a warm, happy and festive evening” into “chaos”, “hell”, recalled Stéphane Erbs, co-president of the ‘Promenade des Anges association.
“It was the Republic that was targeted”
That evening, Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, a Tunisian in his thirties living in Nice, had rushed behind the wheel of a 19-ton truck in the midst of the 30,000 people gathered for the fireworks, mowing down dozens of people within two minutes, before the police shot him down.
The attack was claimed by the jihadist group Islamic State, which then controlled territories in Iraq and Syria and carried out deadly attacks in several countries around the world, although the investigation did not confirm any connection between the ultra-radical organization. and its author.
“On July 14, 2016 in Nice, it was the Republic that was targeted”, insisted Prime Minister Jean Castex, present at this tribute with several ministers, reaffirming the government’s will never to “give in to barbarism (… ) on all sites ”.
“We will absolutely remain standing”
“Five years is barely the time to realize that a new life has begun, a life where every day is a test (…), a life more difficult, more bitter, more bitter, subject to so much anger and questions, ”recalled Stéphane Erbs, who lost his wife in the attack.
“If there’s one thing I can say, it’s that we’ll never be the same again. If there is one thing also that I can affirm, it is that we will absolutely stay upright ”and not take the“ destructive path ”of hatred, for his part stressed Hager ben Aouissi, co-president of the association Life for Nice, a miracle victim of the attack who threw herself to the ground with her five-year-old daughter between the wheels of the truck, to avoid being run over.
On this Wednesday of tribute, the photos of the 86 people killed, of all ages and nationalities, were placed in front of the plexiglass heart which serves as a memorial in the gardens of the Villa Massena. Their names were read during the ceremony accompanied by a piece of music played on the harp.
More than a thousand psychically injured
For many relatives of victims, it is still impossible to grieve. Several parents were only able to recover the organs taken from their children for autopsy and sealed by justice last year. Some dispute its authenticity and have seized the Defender of Rights after the refusal of a DNA analysis.
In addition to the 86 victims killed and the 206 victims physically injured, a total of 1,683 people are considered to be psychically injured in the attack. The children “lived what nobody is prepared to live, five years later it is still there, in memory, in nightmares, in a police siren”, recalled Hager ben Aouissi while 300 children are still followed at the Lenval hospital in Nice for the psychotrauma suffered.
Current trial 2022
Many victims await the trial, “difficult but necessary step”, recalled Stéphane Erbs, hoping that justice “punishes with firmness”. The trial of the eight people suspected of having helped Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel will be held in Paris from September 5 to November 15, 2022. If the civil parties (more than 850) and their lawyers welcomed this referral to the assizes, they nevertheless deplore that two of the defendants, prosecuted for common law offenses, were released in November following a procedural violation.
Several victims also regretted the slowness of the investigation conducted in Nice for “unintentional homicides and injuries” on the security system deployed that evening, co-piloted by the prefecture and the town hall. Stéphane Erbs asked that “light be shed on the various failures that have led to such a heavy toll”.
Anne Murris, who lost her 27-year-old daughter and chairs the Memorial des Anges association, again pleaded for the creation of a national memorial-museum in Nice. And to call for hope to be reborn: “Even if the pain persists and the scars are far from being closed (…), Nice shines and will always shine”.