By Philippe Roudeillat
Published on 21 Oct 20 at 18:21
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Many inhabitants of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (Yvelines) gathered in front of the town hall this Wednesday at noon to pay tribute to Samuel Paty.
Two college students from the city Ethan and Célia read Paul Éluard’s poem “Liberty” before the mayor, Arnaud Pericard, take the floor.
“There are days when speaking out is more difficult, and yet it must be done to express our fear, to show our support and to say that we will never accept. All our thoughts are with Samuel Paty’s family, friends, colleagues and students. May they receive the condolences, the sympathy and all the solidarity of all the inhabitants of our city. “
It is at school that we attack
“With this monstrous act, it is one of the ramparts, one of the powerful symbols of our community which falls,” added the city councilor before recalling the last terrorist acts which had mourned France.
Turn this anger into a national fight
“It is today at school that we are attacking. The school, that of Jules Ferry, the one that trains the critical mind, and the freedom to think for oneself. Since Friday, a wave of indignation has been sweeping our country, it has brought us face to face with a reality that we must collectively overcome. “
In the rest of his speech, the elected representative invited the population to transform “this anger, this mourning into a national fight. It is by not making any concessions to separatism that we will be able to feel stronger ”.
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Strong emotion in the audience
The emotion is lively among the many Saint-Germanois who attended this ceremony.
“It’s great that this tribute was organized in this soothing setting, everyone united, we felt a lot of fervor, and I cried,” says Linda.
For Brigitte it was important “to be there, to be together.
Former teacher, Jacques comments: “My vocation was to pass on a certain number of values with complete objectivity, and seeing that this can be interpreted in a negative way upsets us all, that’s why we have to leave our home. to show solidarity of sharing. “
For her part, Valérie, head of the Saint-Erembert establishment, says she is “revolted, shocked. For me, it is important that we work to protect freedoms, expression, pedagogy, education. This drama adds a lot of anxiety among teachers and students, and it is time that all together with the policies, we managed to find solutions so that such things do not happen again. “
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For Jean Frédéric, head of school in Saint-Augustin, it was important that this moment of meditation be organized.
“It is urgent to get up and take action. The expression and listening of students from the 6th will be important. “
“We are at the side of our teaching staff”
Present at this ceremony, Sylvie Habert Dupuis, deputy mayor for education assured that the City was there to support the teaching staff.
“Beyond the ‘never again’ that we have often heard, now is the time to find solutions, I think that everyone is waiting for actions, real decisions. If some heads of establishments in the city want us to work with them from the beginning of November, we will be there. “
Jehan-Jacques Peyre
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