Child killed in a shooting: “A subject of society, not just of security”, regrets Philippe Laurent

On the night of Monday to Tuesday, a 10-year-old child died of a stray bullet during a shooting in the area of ​​Avenue des Arts in the Pissevin district, south-west of Nîmes. This tragedy is proof that “violence is growing in our cities”, regrets Philippe Laurent, vice-president of the Association of Mayors of France (AMF) and guest of Europe 1 Morning on Tuesday. Moreover, cities are not the only ones affected by this phenomenon of growing insecurity, according to Philippe Laurent. “We saw it during the riots in early July, we saw that small or medium-sized towns were also beginning to be affected,” he notes.

For the guest from Europe 1, this “unbearable drama” now represents “a subject of society, not just a subject of security.” According to the mayor of Sceaux, the entire French population must therefore feel concerned, as this problem is gradually reaching more territories. “It’s a subject of education, of social ties in our society. So it’s a job that we have to do together: State, local authorities, associations.”

“All citizens must feel concerned”

“And then all the French, all the citizens must feel concerned by this subject. Because if it continues like this, it will be more and more difficult to live together in the country”, warns Philippe Laurent, while the shootings and settling scores are multiplying in the most underprivileged neighborhoods of French cities. In Marseille alone, at least 36 people have been victims since the beginning of the year, most of them against a background of drug trafficking.

Finally, the vice-president of the AMF appeals to the responsibility of the public authorities in terms of resources, alongside the other mayors of France. “It also shows, unfortunately, the retreat of the state in these neighborhoods. It is the presence of the security forces which is not sufficient, which is no longer respected, even by people who do not go not to these ends.”