The Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, on Monday greeted the memory of these “everyday heroes”, who died during an intervention for acts of violence against a spouse.
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Le Monde avec AFP
The Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, accompanied by the Minister of the Armed Forces, Florence Parly, greeted Monday, December 28, at the occasion of a ceremony of national homage to Ambert (Puy-de-Dôme), “the noble sacrifice” of the three gendarmes killed last week by a madman.
“Three lives sacrificed for save another… Despite our sorrow, there is no more noble sacrifice than this, ”declared Mr. Darmanin facing the coffins of the missing. “Too often the police are criticized. We reject on them the violence contained in our society, in the grip of doubt and anxiety. But everyone here knows that the vast majority of French people support, encourage, love their actions “, he added, before continuing:” You were quite simply everyday heroes. […] Your memory is essential and will be imposed on all with infinite respect and the eternal recognition of the motherland. . “
The gendarmes of Ambert’s company intervened during the night of December 22 to 23 in the village of Saint-Just, in order to rescue a woman victim of domestic violence, who had found refuge on the roof of his house. His heavily armed companion set the building on fire and shot the three soldiers before fleeing. His lifeless body was later found near his home, a weapon in his hand.
“Excellence and selflessness”
In a statement sent by his lawyer, the companion of the madman had sent “her deep thoughts to the families of the gendarmes”, considering the words “insufficient to express his gratitude”.
The commander of Ambert’s gendarmerie company, Fabrice Touioui, recounts the “excellence and selflessness” of the three soldiers. “Saving this lady, they had only that in mind”, he testifies. “The carnage could have been much greater. By giving their lives, they may have saved dozens.”
During the ceremony, the two ministers presented the Legion of Honor to posthumously to Lieutenant-Colonel Cyrille Morel, 45, Major Rémi Dupuis, 37, and Constable Arno Mavel, 21, under the eyes of their families and their comrades. All three also received the medal of the national gendarmerie with bronze palms and that of internal security, gold level. Arno Mavel and Rémi Dupuis were also decorated with the military medal of the Order of Merit, Cyrille Morel having received it during his lifetime.
The bell to the dead and La Marseillaise played by the Republican Guard have resounded on the little Place du Pontel, completely sealed off by the police, and where the ceremony took place in freezing cold. Only the family and comrades of the disappeared, representatives of the gendarmerie and elected officials had access to it. Several hundred people followed the tribute in another nearby square, where a giant screen had been installed.