“Terrorism and the trauma that goes with it is a very slow poison,” says the president of Life for Paris

Fred Dewilde, survivor of the Bataclan, killed himself on Sunday May 5, his relatives announced in a letter relayed on social networks by the association of victims of the attacks of November 13, 2015 Life for Paris.

“We must soften the shock and ensure that there will be no suicide after this suicide. This is always our fear”, testified Tuesday May 7 on France Inter Arthur Dénouveaux, president of Life for Paris, association of victims and families of victims of the attacks of November 13, 2015, after the death of Fred Dewilde. The designer, survivor of the Bataclan attack, ended his life this Sunday.

“This is the third suicide in the community of victims of November 13recalls Arthur Dénouveaux. And each time, there is this same fear that there will be a snowball effect when we find out.” The association took the time “to call your closest friends in the survivor community, individually”before making the information of Fred Dewilde’s death public.

“We have firewalls, we have a form of crisis unit and we are available to everyone during these hours.”

Arthur Dénouveaux, president of Life for Paris

at France Inter

Arthur Dénouveaux says he saw Fred Dewilde “at a concert last week” and that he was “radiant, he was a guy full of life”. He remembers that the“artwork” of the designer “and his public speeches, very much about death, were very dark. But we had the impression that he managed to keep all that at a fairly healthy distance”. But “all it took was one evening” so that Fred Dewilde is “caught up by demons who had certainly not left him for eight and a half years.” very slowexplains the president of Life for Paris. It comes back in waves. We’ll never know what started it Sunday night. But it was clearly an ebb of unhappiness.”

The Life for Paris association is “a very close-knit community” by “horrible news”specifies its president. “Terrorism remains in the news. We obviously had the October 7 attack, we had the Bir-Hakeim attack”in Paris on December 2, 2023. But he emphasizes that, “not letting your guard down, it remains extremely difficult because we want to move on. And we see that we are vulnerable”.

Arthur Dénouveaux adds that he “still speaks in the media to remind people that it’s normal to have reminiscences” attacks. THE “aim” victims and families of victims “It will always remain to reintegrate society as fully and as functionally as possible. But you still have to have a little patience with us”. The president of Life for Paris emphasizes that “that’s why” that the association will be dissolved “ten years after the attack to say to ourselves that we are trying to move on to the next stage. But it’s not easy”.

If you need help, if you are worried or if you are faced with the suicide of a member of your entourage, there are anonymous listening services. The Suicide listen line can be reached 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on 01 45 39 40 00. Other information is also available on the website of the Ministry of Solidarity and Health.

To report any situation of harassment or cyberharassment, whether you are a victim or a witness, there are free, anonymous and confidential telephone numbers: 3020 (harassment at school) and 3018 (cyberharassment), reachable from Monday to Saturday , from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Other information is also available on the website of the Ministry of National Education.