White march against violence: “Education begins at home” | FAXINFO

Last Saturday, the community of Saint-Martin stood up as one to say "stop" to violence. A silent march, bringing together more than a hundred participants, traveled along the boulevard of Grand-Case and the main road, transmitting a message of peace and solidarity in the face of growing insecurity.

Organised at the initiative of the veterans' football club and supported by local elected officials, this demonstration set off at 17pm from the Grand-Case public car park, before following a route joined by other demonstrators. "We must fight crime and delinquency together. It is our moral responsibility to say no, we are better than than!" declared Louis Mussington, president of the community, forcefully.

Strong citizen mobilization

Among the participants were elected officials, representatives of associations, families and local figures. All carried a common message: violence cannot continue to tear apart Saint-Martin society and its economy: “Violence is against all of us. We must say no to weapons, no to this destructive spiral. Families must be an integral part of change.”

Strong and moving messages

At the end of the march, poignant interventions highlighted the importance of such a gathering. A mother from Grand-Case expressed her pain in the face of the current situation: “Every day, we mourn our young people. It is time to come together, parents, elected officials and associations, to stop the haemorrhage”. Gilbert Rousseau, a local figure, also called for action: “We must pay attention to what is happening. There are too many children outside at night, they are 9, 10, 11 years old, there is a huge amount of work to do, together. We must strengthen security, we need it to continue to grow”.

Sports associations, such as the football league and the veterans club, reiterated their desire to support young people. "Our young people need activities and reference points. We must work together to give them a future," their representative stressed.

A reflection on the causes

In the speeches, parental responsibility was widely discussed. Alain Richardson, First Vice-President, recalled: "Education begins at home. Children do not belong to the state or the community, but to their parents. It is our duty to supervise and educate them." He also pointed out the lack of infrastructure to occupy young people, while acknowledging the efforts needed to put them in place.

 

The march concluded with a minute of silence in tribute to the victims of violence. “We must remain united as a community. Until parents take their role seriously, we, the elected officials, cannot do anything,” said Louis Mussington, condemning the ritual of firing shots into the air at the funeral of a young person who has died in a motorcycle accident or during a shooting: “This practice must stop immediately, where is the respect for life?!”

A desire to continue

This silent march marks the beginning of a series of initiatives. Other mobilizations are already planned in the different neighborhoods of Saint-Martin. All the actors of the local society call for a collective awakening. "Our young people have so much talent. It is time to act so as not to lose this generation," concluded a social worker from the national education system. _Vx

Source: Faxinfo https://faxinfo.fr/en/environnement-exercer-en-reserve-naturelle-derniers-jours-pour-candidater/

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