“The sanction will not solve everything”, adds André Rousset Tuesday on franceinfo, a week after the aggression of a deputy by a resident of the village, which caused the resignations of the mayor and his majority.
“We must sow humanity, we lack it”, pleaded Tuesday June 20 on franceinfo André Rousset, resigning mayor of Lauris (Vaucluse) after the aggression Tuesday June 13 of one of his assistants by a resident of the village. The mayor and his entire group on the Municipal Council of this town of nearly 4,000 inhabitants resigned to express their anger.
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This resignation of elected officials must be validated by the prefecture to be effective. “After all, we are not primates. It is the example that makes the education”, he says. André Rousset, a former educator in difficult neighborhoods, does not believe in the virtue of punishment alone: “It’s not going to solve everything. We have to re-humanize ourselves.”
franceinfo: Why did you resign?
Andre Rousset: Enough is enough ! Against the mayors, but also against the headmistress of the school who was insulted last week. Too much is too much when you hit the police, too much is too much when you attack everyone, too much of this violence. After all, we are not primates. It is the example that makes the education, it is not the speeches. Stop! We stop ! We stop all that and put all our energy into tipping the scales on the right side, on the side of life, on the side of fraternity, on the side of humanity. We are not savages. Even savages don’t do that.
Is it a new phenomenon?
With us, it’s new because we are a serene, calm, peaceful village. Everyone says hello. I was an educator in the northern districts. I’ve dealt with serious criminals. I never had any problems. Now it’s pulling all over the place. There is no more respect. There are new phenomena, but it is a complex issue. It’s related to a lot of things. There is Covid, there is war and inflation. There is no more public service. The elected officials are the only close links. We are the only social link now in the small villages.
“Who do you want them to attack, people? They are not going to see Mr. Macron, they are not going to see the minister. They are attacking the elected officials who are there on the spot.”
André Rousset, resigning mayor of Laurison franceinfo
The government is considering a law by the end of the year to increase the penalties incurred in the event of attacks against elected officials. This is a good thing ?
It is even more important to work on the paths of trust. We need debate in order not to fight, we need to debate in order not to fight, we need to meet, we need to discuss, we need to sow humanity. We miss it! What are we going to leave our children? You are all dad, mom, grandpa and grandma. What are we going to leave our grandchildren if we continue to do this? Sanctions won’t solve everything. We need to re-humanize ourselves.