Nice commemorates the tenth anniversary of the July 14th attack with a silent march

A thousand people marched on Sunday along the Promenade des Anglais in Nice to open the commemorations of the tenth anniversary of the truck attack of July 14, 2016, which killed 86 people and injured more than 400 others.

Dressed in white, many carrying roses, the marchers gathered in front of the Lenval Children's Hospital, the very spot where the truck had begun its deadly rampage on the evening of July 14, 2016, before driving up the entire promenade under a blazing sun. The road was closed to cars and bicycles for the occasion, but joggers and vacationers on the beach below continued to move about freely.

Approximately 300 relatives of the victims led the procession, alongside the four associations that participated in organizing the commemorations. The mayor of Nice, Éric Ciotti, municipal officials, the prefect, the public prosecutor, firefighters, and representatives of OGC Nice were among those present.

The procession paused in front of "The Angel of the Bay," a sculpture by Jean-Marie Fondacaro installed at the spot where driver Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel was shot dead by police. Wreaths were laid there, before the participants placed their roses, to the sound of a harp, in front of a gazebo in a nearby garden.

Patrick Prigent, president of the Life for Nice association, described it as a moment that allowed the victims to "turn the page, not close the book, but turn the page." "It allows us to see that we are not alone and that people are also taking ownership of this important moment," he added. Hager Ben Aouissi, president of the Une Voie des Enfants association, spoke of "a very moving moment, very difficult too, because we overcame our fears, our trauma." She hopes that the images of the march will help the child victims who were unable to return to the promenade to "reclaim" this place.

The commemorations continue on Monday with an interfaith ceremony, then on Tuesday with a memorial ceremony in the presence of President Emmanuel Macron at 18:15 p.m. A drone show will close the day at 22 p.m., during which 86 blue beams will be projected into the sky, one for each of the victims.