All those who were moved by Thomas’ death now have an appointment on Saturday August 1. The family of the young man from Sarcelles, who died on June 11, at the Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital in Paris, has just set a date to organize a white march. Thomas, 23, was stabbed on the night of May 9 to 10 by a forty-something recently released from prison.
That evening, rue Chaussy, Thomas, passionate about music and freeriding on a scooter, had just finished a contract in a DIY store before finding a job at a drinks distributor. At around 8 p.m., on his way out of a grocery store, he met an acquaintance and followed him to his apartment for the evening. There was this man coming out of prison and a woman. An altercation broke out. “He was jealous because this woman seemed to like my son,” says his father Philippe.
Around midnight, when Thomas left the apartment, he was followed and caught up in the public garden by this man who hit him on the head and stabbed him eight times. The help intervened very quickly, the young man was placed in intensive care. He stayed there thirty-one and underwent about fifteen operations before taking his last breath. “The doctors did everything to save him,” his mother reports.
“We didn’t want extremists to invade the march”
The day after his death, the idea of a demonstration to pay tribute to him was already in the air. But his relatives had preferred to wait a bit, because of a runaway on social networks. The far right had indeed tried to recover this drama crying out for “anti-white racism”. A reaction that does not seem to correspond either to the reality of the case, or to the personality of the victim. “We did not want extremists to invade the march, we waited for the breath to settle,” explains Thomas’s father.
But for the family, it is now time to pay tribute to the young man. “Unfortunately, we still have not been able to organize the funeral”, regrets the father. “They will be on July 31, so we are planning the walk for August 1 so that everyone who comes to the funeral can participate. “
T-shirts “Together for Thomas” and wearing a mask for everyone
The meeting is fixed at 11 am in front of the André-Malraux room (29 rue Taillepied). The procession will then walk to rue de Chaussy, where Thomas collapsed in May, to lay flowers. Relatives of the victim had 900 t-shirts printed “Together for Thomas” printed. People who do not have one are encouraged to come with a white top. Wearing a mask is also required for everyone.
“We want to bring together as many people as possible in memory of Thomas,” continues Philippe. “And the purpose of this walk is also to remind people that there are things that are wrong with our society. We let dangerous people go free. The author of the fatal stab wounds, arrested quickly after the tragedy, and imprisoned, is indeed a repeat offender. When the police arrested him, he was very drunk and had taken cocaine. “We are going to follow the instruction very closely”, assures Thomas’s dad.
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