Several thousand people participated on Saturday in Pamiers (Ariège) in a white march organized in memory of the breeder and her daughter who died at the beginning of the week after being accidentally hit on a farmers’ roadblock, noted a journalist from the AFP. “There is a considerable crowd (…) solidarity and emotion have gone beyond Ariège and the world of agriculture,” declared Philippe Lacube, president of the Ariège chamber of agriculture, during a press briefing before the start of the march.
From 1:00 p.m., thousands of people, dressed in white, with white roses in their hands, began to fill the courtyard of the Pamiers agricultural high school to pay tribute to the farmer, Alexandra, who had studied there, and to her daughter. Camille who was to begin studies there. “We are gathered here because a tragedy happened to us. (…) We wanted to leave the agricultural high school because Camille was to enter this high school in September,” said Sébastien Durand, vice-president of the FDSEA of the Ariège and mayor of the town where the victims’ family lives.
The father “is getting better and better”
The father, Jean-Michel, also hit during the accident and seriously injured, is still hospitalized but “is getting better and better”, said Sébastien Durand, with tears in his eyes, after having seen him the day before. Refusing “to allow the drama to be recovered”, the organizers insisted that the elected officials “come in civilian clothes”, “without a scarf” and that the press “stay away from the procession”. “We want to remain respectful and dignified,” they stressed.
Leaving the agricultural high school after a minute of silence, around 2:00 p.m., the march set off towards the entrance to Pamiers a few meters from the place where the tragedy took place. Farmers, present on the night of the tragedy, according to Sébastien Durand, were to hold a tribute banner there, before buses took the participants back to the starting point.