This Friday, the mayor of Lille, Martine Aubry, was relieved that her city had been, for the moment at least, relatively spared from the riots which broke out all over France after the death of Nahel. The last time the capital of Flanders was the scene of such events was in 2005, during a general conflagration of the suburbs. There, “it is not at all the same thing”, noted the elected official, recognizing that it was impossible to discuss with the rioters of today.
In 2005, there were many more people in the streets but there had been paradoxically less damage to public buildings. “There were mainly young people, yes, but we could talk with them, with the families, recalls Martine Aubry. Today, it is children aged 13-14 with whom we cannot discuss, ”she laments. Young people who feel abandoned and a trigger, the death of Nahel, which comes at a time “or the country is going badly”.
“I also appeal to the responsibility of parents”
The mayor of Lille confesses that she “understands this youth revolt less well than in 2005”. For her, it may be a general malaise. “When a government makes decisions every day that undermine democracy, that power has nothing to do with what people are going through, these kids hear about it at home,” says the mayor, adding however that she “absolutely did not excuse them”.
Except that there is no miracle recipe to stop this. Excessive police reinforcements would be a kind of “provocation”, and Martine Aubry is not in favor of the idea of establishing a curfew. “What’s the use of a curfew if you can’t afford to enforce it?” Same thing for the state of emergency, ”wonders the socialist.
So in Lille, we try to limit breakage by removing garbage cans from hot places, very popular objects for starting fires. “Everyone must contribute to the protection of the city, insists Martine Aubry. And I also appeal to the responsibility of parents whose kids have nothing to do in the street at night.