“Fighting is also a way of staying standing,” underlines the lawyer for Dominique Bernard’s family

Richard Malka, lawyer for the family of Dominique Bernard, was the guest of “8h30 franceinfo”, Sunday October 13, 2024.

Richard Malka, lawyer for the family of Dominique Bernard, was the guest of “8h30 franceinfo”, Sunday October 13, 2024. He answered questions from Bérengère Bonte and Hadrien Bect.

The testimony of Isabelle Bernard: “She is standing. She is speaking because she felt it was useful”

“Fighting is also a way of staying upright”explains this Sunday Master Richard Malka, lawyer for the family of Dominique Bernard about Isabelle Bernard who spoke on Saturday for the first time in the newspaper Le Monde since the death of her companion Dominique Bernard in Arras (Pas-de -Calais). The literature teacher was assassinated in front of his establishment, the Gambetta middle and high school, by Mohammed Mogouchkov, a radicalized former student.

In this interview, Isabelle Bernard defends the values ​​of humanism and tolerance which were those of her husband. “She is standing. She is speaking because she felt that it was useful and I believe that it was. She wants to recall the values ​​for which her husband was killed and to which he was terribly attached, the transmission of knowledge, knowledge, republican values, secularism, freedom, tolerance”explained Master Richard Malka.

A literary prize created to bring to life the values ​​embodied by her husband: “It’s a way of fighting and fighting”

Isabelle Bernard wants to launch a literary prize. He will be called “Read, think, write – Dominique Bernard prize” and will be aimed at 4th, 3rd and second year students from Arras and its surrounding areas. Middle and high school students will write a short story on the theme of tolerance. “It’s a magnificent initiative”greets the lawyer. “That’s one of the reasons why she’s speaking out today. It’s a way of fighting and fighting. Fighting is also a way of staying standing. It gives courage.” and “the strength to face the tragedy that occurred,” he explains. the lawyer.

A tribute ceremony is planned for Sunday morning at 11 a.m. in Arras in the presence of several ministers, including the Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau. Since his arrest a year ago, the radicalized former student has expressed no regrets and confirmed before the investigating judges that the French teacher was indeed the main target. Through him, it is “attachment to the system of the Republic, democracy and human rights” who was attacked, according to the terrorist.

A year after the events, “It’s not all society’s fault”believes Master Richard Malka. According to him, “the school did its job. Everyone did their job, afterward, you have fanaticization phenomena”he explains.