After the knife attack in Annecy on Thursday, the right and the far right quickly made the link with immigration in France.
Antoine Armand, Renaissance MP for the second constituency of Haute-Savoie, denounced Friday, June 9 the “nauseous ideas” And “the instrumentalization” of some elected officials after the knife attack Thursday in Annecy which injured six people, including four young children, hospitalized “in a state of absolute emergency”.
>> Follow our live on the knife attack in Annecy
A man was arrested and taken into custody. He is a 31-year-old Syrian refugee, who entered France legally in November 2022. The right and the far right quickly made the connection between this attack and immigration to France: “I’m still stunned by the words I couldn’t help but hear yesterday [jeudi]while the children, the injured adults, had not even arrived in the care services”reacted the deputy. “You really have to show the greatest possible decency”did he declare.
franceinfo: How does Annecy wake up this Friday morning?
Antoine Armand: The city is simply stunned. Since Thursday, since the rumor of this attack spread, this city is stunned since the Pâquier is a totemic place of the city, open on the lake. A place of conviviality where we share, where we exchange.
“The violence, the inhumanity of this attack, targeting children, babies in reality, is not understandable.”
Antoine Armand, Renaissance MP for Haute-Savoieat franceinfo
Have the State services set up psychological support for the inhabitants of the city?
State services and city services have been extraordinarily mobilized. We must salute them and thank them. There are of course psychological cells for people who were in direct contact with the aggressor. And then there will be in the colleges, the neighboring schools also an extremely strong follow-up. Some schools were confined because the location of the attack was very close to a kindergarten.
Parents, children returned to the park where the tragedy took place on Thursday evening. Is it important that they reclaim this place immediately?
Absolutely ! That’s quite right. First, before that, the idea was to be able to immediately pay tribute. We all really want, here in Annecy, to say that we are thinking of these little victims who are fighting for life in the hospitals of Grenoble and Geneva and to tell them that we are all with them, that we won’t forget. This attack, it must be said, will transform our city.
We have the feeling that nothing explains this gesture…
You are right, this is the impression that emerges for the moment. It is also logical that we know very little about it only a few hours after the attack and the start of the investigation which is being carried out at the moment. While the children are still in the operating room, I believe that we really have to show the greatest possible decency.
Are you referring to certain statements on the right and the extreme right making the link between this attack and immigration to France?
I am still stunned by the words that I couldn’t help but hear yesterday, when the children, the injured adults, had not even arrived in the medical services. Some were already taking the opportunity to feast on their nauseating ideas.
“We are simply in the time of emotion, of support for the victims who, I remind you, are still being treated and certainly not in the time of instrumentalization.”
Antoine Armand, Renaissance MP for Haute-Savoieat franceinfo
How do you react to the ultra-right demonstration organized Thursday evening near the scene of the tragedy?
It is simply outrageous! We can only condemn it with all the strength of humanity that there is in us. What must not have understood to surrender and demonstrate by shouting “France to the French”, when two of the very small children were Dutch and English?