RTL today – 3rd anniversary: Strasbourg commemorates victims of Christmas market attack
Prime Minister Jean Castex joined the ceremony on Saturday, where local officials and relatives of the five victims recalled the horrific attack of December 11, 2018.
Martine Winterberger, who was among the injured three years ago, spoke at the closed-door event and read a text co-authored with other victims: “We need a lot of strength and courage to deal with both the attack and the trauma. In the face of hatred, we have chosen life, peace, hope, fraternalism and sharing. We still have a long way to go.
PM Castex and Strasbourg Mayor Jeanne Barseghian placed white roses around the memorial statue. The ceremony ended with a minute of silence, none of the elected officials addressing the crowd. PM Castex also left the scene just after the end to inaugurate a new motorway section in Strasbourg.
On the day in question, Chérif Chekatt, 29, assaulted people in the Strasbourg market armed with an old revolver and a knife. 78 people are considered to have been victims of the terrorist attack, including the dead, their relatives, the injured, as well as those who suffered psychological damage.
Although Chekatt managed to escape the scene even after being wounded by one of the soldiers, he was identified and shot dead 48 hours later in one of Strasbourg’s southern neighborhoods. Authorities later found a video in which the attacker pledged allegiance to the Islamic State.
A total of five people have since been investigated on suspicion of supplying weapons to Chekatt. However, a trial is not expected to take place until 2023.