French city gathers at playground the place younger youngsters had been stabbed to help victims

PARIS — Children, dad and mom and grandparents joined a couple of thousand well-wishers Sunday in a park within the French Alps city of Annecy to point out solidarity and help for the victims of a playground stabbing assault that left 4 younger youngsters and two adults hospitalized with severe wounds.

The youngsters characterize ”the poetry of life,” Annecy Mayor Francois Astorg informed the group, calling on Annecy residents to “come together to build, instead of to hate.”

Astorg had referred to as for a “citizens’ gathering” within the lakeside park the place a person with a knife raced round stabbing individuals Thursday. City officers reopened the playground hours after the assault in an try to point out the world was once more protected.

People have heaped flowers, stuffed toys and messages of help on the playground’s padded floor within the days since. A pink heart-shaped balloon tied to a bench learn, “For the children – LOVE.”

The youngsters focused had been a 22-month-old Dutch woman, a 3-year-old British woman, and two 2-year-old French cousins, a boy and a woman. They obtained grave accidents and stay hospitalized, however their circumstances improved to the purpose the place their lives not had been in peril, the regional prosecutor mentioned Saturday.

One of the wounded adults, a Portuguese man who was knifed whereas making an attempt to cease the attacker from fleeing, after which shot by police as they detained the suspect — additionally stays hospitalized.

Multiple bystanders sought to discourage the assailant, together with a French Catholic pilgrim named Henri who repeatedly swung on the attacker along with his backpack, and has been dubbed ”the hero with the backpack.”

The suspect, a 31-year-old Syrian refugee with everlasting Swedish residency, was handed preliminary prices Saturday of tried homicide and armed resistance. Witnesses informed investigators that the suspect talked about his personal 3-year-old daughter, his spouse and Jesus Christ in the course of the assault, regional prosecutor Line Bonnet-Mathis mentioned.

Preliminary prices beneath French legislation imply magistrates have robust purpose to suspect wrongdoing however are permitting extra time for investigation earlier than deciding whether or not to ship a suspect to trial.

The stabbing suspect refused to speak to investigators, and was examined by a psychiatrist and different docs who deemed him match to face prices, the prosecutor mentioned. She mentioned that the motive remained unclear, nevertheless it didn’t seem like terrorism-related.

The suspect stays in custody pending additional investigation.

At Sunday’s gathering, households described eager to reclaim the positioning, a peaceable, shaded playground overlooking the Alpine lake. A Mexican artist duo unveiled a fresco to the victims.