Facts need no explanation. It is a human tragedy for two people: One, a young man who had taken the wrong path, paying very dearly, too dearly perhaps, for the grave mistake, a robbery, that he had just committed. The other, a simple shopkeeper, who pays and will continue to pay for a reflex action, the result of immediate reaction when the blood rushes to the head and one loses their most precious faculty: The capacity to reason.
Dying, at 20 years old, for a robbery of almost negligible value. Killing, when you’re a good family man, without knowing how to shoot and just to react out of rage! Two lives shattered, that of the one who is no more and that of the one who will wonder all his life: What demon armed my hand?
Let the investigators and judges apply what the law provides for.
For the shopkeeper, whether he is cleared of all responsibility or convicted, the burden will be heavy on his conscience and the remorse that will accompany him throughout his life.
Let those who have a responsibility or a role in public life express themselves. They have done so and it is unfortunate that their words depend on their political interest. What cynicism!
What is important is the human aspect, and we want to express here our entire pietas. From a Christian point of view, pietas is in a quasi-synonymous relationship with misericordia et humanitas.
It is these sentiments that inspire us that the robber and the shopkeeper are perhaps, both, victims of the same tragedy.
Statement from Christian Estrosi, Mayor of Nice
According to the initial findings of the investigation brought to my attention, a shopkeeper on rue d’Angleterre was reportedly robbed* this morning during the opening of his store by two heavily armed individuals.
The latter is said to have used a weapon during the robbers’ escape. One of the two alleged perpetrators has died. The images from the various city cameras are of course at the disposal of the criminal police to shed full light on this tragedy.
The death of a man is always a tragedy, whatever the circumstances. But we must nonetheless understand the situation. Shopkeepers live in fear of being robbed or attacked, often for just a few hundred euros, all over France.
After Marignane, now in Nice a citizen takes justice into his own hands. Unfortunately, these events prove that the French no longer believe in their justice system and that the criminal policy pursued by the Government is further widening this gap.
At a time when the State is congratulating itself on the results obtained in the fight against crime in our department, I note for my part that robberies have quadrupled since May 2012. This situation is intolerable.
I call on the Government to take firm and rapid measures in favor of shopkeepers. In our Republic, it is the State, it is the National Police that holds legitimate violence. It would be intolerable that due to the Government’s inability to stem the violence, citizens take justice into their own hands.
I wish to express my deepest emotion following the robbery that took place this morning (Editor’s note: yesterday) in Nice. The investigation will establish the exact conditions in which this shooting actually took place.
I understand the reactions and testimonies of shopkeepers and jewelers from the Côte d’Azur who now live in fear of assault.
The fact that a shopkeeper, a victim of several criminal acts, is compelled to use his firearm sadly demonstrates the loss of confidence many of our fellow citizens have in the institutions meant to protect them. The accomplice of the robber killed this morning must be actively sought to be brought before the judicial authority as quickly as possible to answer for his actions.
Finally, I ask the Government to take all necessary measures to ensure the safety and tranquility of the shopkeepers of the Alpes-Maritimes, who are victims of the resurgence of thefts and armed assaults.
Eric Ciotti, President of the General Council
This morning (Editor’s note: yesterday), in the center of Nice, another jewelry store was the target of two robbers, one of whom was shot dead by the jeweler as he fled on a scooter.
Just a few days ago, in the Bouches-du-Rhône, the intervention of a citizen following another robbery ended in his death. This time, it was he who was shot dead by the robber.
We increasingly sense such an exasperation among people that they are determined to take justice into their own hands immediately. That is why it is good to remember that there is a justice system and a police in which we must have faith, because these “reflex” interventions are dangerous, not only for the protagonists but also for the bystanders and citizens who have only one fault: being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Patrick Allemand, President of the “Change of Era” and “Socialists, Greens, and Republicans” groups
I want to extend my full support to the courageous jeweler on rue d’Angleterre and his family. The collective against insecurity “Ahura Basta,” of which I am a member, stands ready to provide any legal, financial, and moral support to the one we consider the only victim in this tragic affair: the shopkeeper attacked by two armed thugs.
A support petition will be launched in the coming hours by the “Ahura Basta” collective.
While I understand the necessity of an investigation, I believe it would send a deplorable message to citizens and criminals alike if it were once again a citizen defending himself who was prosecuted by justice.
The public authorities (both local and national) who can no longer ensure the safety of the French cannot, moreover, demand that they continue to let themselves be victimized. Should we recall the tragic death of a jeweler less than two years ago in Cannes?
This robbery once again witnesses to the climate of violence that reigns in the very center of Nice.
For Christian Estrosi, the only cameras that work are those on television sets, not those he claims can guarantee the safety of the people of Nice!
Philippe Vardon, President of Nissa Rebela
