Haute-Garonne: the Department pays tribute to the victims of the Toulouse attacks and unfurls a banner
This Thursday morning, the president of the departmental council of Haute-Garonne, Georges Méric unfurled a banner in tribute to the victims of the terrorist Mohamed Merah. A minute of silence was observed for these seven people murdered ten years ago.
On the forecourt of the Hôtel du Département in Toulouse, this Thursday morning, the president, Georges Méric as well as around thirty elected officials paid tribute to the seven victims of the terrorist Mohamed Merah and the two seriously injured. “We are gathered in a difficult moment and for the commemoration of an act of horror”, thus introduced the president of the departmental council. “We are driven by freedom of conscience, fraternity, those who commit these acts do not have any. This hatred pushes them to commit these acts of violence”, continued Georges Méric, in a very solemn tone.
A minute of silence
He also made a point of distinguishing radical Islamism from Islamism. Ten years ago, on March 11, 2012, the jihadist Mohammed Merah killed near the Hers gymnasium in Toulouse, the soldier Imad Ibn Ziaten, 30 years old. Then, on March 15, two paratroopers from Montauban aged 23 and 25 were killed: Mohamed Legouad and Abel Chennouf. Finally, on March 19, the same kills four people, including three children, in front of the Ozar-Hatorah school in Toulouse. “This anti-Semitism and these acts are unacceptable. We stand together by the republican values which are freedom, equality and fraternity. Freedom will always be stronger than servitude”, thus declared with force the president of the Department.
At the end of his commemoration speech, those present recorded a minute of silence in tribute to the victims of these attacks. On the banner deployed on the occasion of this commemoration is thus written in large blue letters “to never forget” and the names of the victims.