They came to walk in memory of Lindsay so that the scourge of school bullying ends. Several hundred people marched on Sunday June 18 in Vendin-le-Vieil (Pas-de-Calais) during the white march organized in memory of the 13-year-old schoolgirl who committed suicide on May 12 following school harassment of which she was a victim.
“Harassment can lead to burial”, also chanted neighbors, friends of the teenager and her family, but also supporters from all over France, who called for “concrete measures” to protect children. bullied students.
In front of the crowd and the media, Betty Gervois, Lyndsay’s mother, said: “We speak to all the children who are suffering: they are not alone. She called for active combat and state support against “the impunity of social networks, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok”, which “cannot continue to make money on hateful and abusive speech”. “Awareness has been raised (…) up to the government. It’s a breath of hope,” she said, before leading the march.
A call for “concrete measures” and “more listening”
Dressed in white T-shirts and many with flowers, the demonstrators marched from Lindsay College to the local high school escorted by around 30 bikers and behind a banner reading “Justice for Lindsay, not harassment school”, before returning to the establishment of the young girl for a release of balloons.
Hubert Constancias, a 60-year-old retiree, came from Puy-de-Dôme with his granddaughter, because “it was very important to her”, who was “shocked by this story”. “I know many who have been harassed, but when we went to see the principal, we were listened to,” said the 11-year-old schoolgirl.
“The message we want to convey is above all ‘stop bullying’, that everyone becomes aware, educates their children”, that there are “concrete measures” and “more listening in schools” , said Magali Levecque, mother of a friend of Lindsay. The teenager is “also a victim” of bullying, according to her mother, who wants to move to change schools.
Four minors and one adult charged
After Lindsay’s family, received on June 5 by Pap Ndiaye, deemed the Minister of Education’s position on the subject “insufficient”, the Prime Minister, Elisabeth Borne, promised to “fight against harassment the absolute priority for the start of the 2023 school year”.
Some parents remain skeptical, like Olivier Dehaen, father of another schoolgirl from the Lindsay school, who also made a report for harassment, and for whom we need “much stronger measures, responsiveness stronger” on the part of national education.
In Lindsay’s case, four minors were charged with “school bullying leading to suicide”, and one adult with “death threats”.
An administrative investigation has also been opened by the ministry. Lindsay’s family filed a complaint against the establishment, the rectorate, the police and Facebook.