A play was performed on the street where the Strépy-Bracquegnies carnival tragedy took place in an effort to clarify certain uncertainties in the investigation. Numerous police officers enforced strict security measures, prohibiting anyone from accessing the street during the reconstruction. The play required the participation of many actors to represent the carnival procession on the morning of March 20, 2022. Over a hundred individuals were allowed in the local sports hall to watch the performance unfold. Among the attendees was Antonio Gava, a victim of the tragedy, who watched the reenactment with intense emotion. He stresses the need for justice to be served: “It’s not a traffic accident. It’s time that justice takes its responsibilities”. The play lasted until 4 am on Friday morning and was deemed very informative by lawyers of the victims, Me Mayence and Me Guttadauria. The Strépy-Bracquegnies carnival tragedy occurred on March 20, 2022, when a BMW car hit a procession of carnival goers, killing six people and injuring around thirty others. The driver of the car, Paolo Falzone, has been incarcerated since the incident and faces multiple charges related to the tragedy. The reconstruction aimed to clarify gray areas in the investigation, including the speed of the car and the visibility of the driver before impact.
A reconstruction of the drama of the carnival of Strépy-Bracquegnies took place on the scene of the events, on the rue des Canadiens. The objective was to try to remove certain gray areas in the investigation, at a specific moment in time.
A very large device, fed by several dozen police officers, has been put in place, strictly prohibiting access to the place of the reconstitution, the rue des Canadiens. Many extras were mobilized to represent the carnival procession on the morning of March 20, 2022. More than a hundred civil parties were welcomed inside the device, in the local sports hall where they were able to see the images of the reconstitution.
Antonio Gava is one of the victims of this tragedy. He followed the reconstruction with great attention and emotion. “We knew it was going to be very hard, it was. Emotionally speaking, we rehash all the drama. We saw victims again”, he told us. “I didn’t expect much from the reenactment. What I expect is justice. That it does its job. They are repeat offenders. It’s not a traffic accident. It’s time that justice takes its responsibilities”, he added.
The reconstruction ended at 4 a.m. on Friday morning. “It was extremely long and very difficult on a psychological level because many victims saw each other again. It was very well organized, there was the possibility for all the victims to stay inside and watch the images. It was long but very instructive on the substance of the case”explained Me Mayence, the lawyer for the victims of the tragedy of Strépy.
For his part, Me Guttadauria, lawyer for the passenger in the tragedy, also believes that this reconstruction was “very long and very moving”. “You can’t help but think of the victims and their families. It was trying because for my client, it was necessary to submit a certain number of gestures which were very difficult for him. He had to reposition himself in this vehicle, reposition the bodies of the victims and it was very difficult for him to deal with on an emotional level”he said.
Before adding: “When you find yourself in the situation of being the passenger of an accident as terrible as this while dozing off and waking up to bodies crashing into the vehicle, you can imagine the shock you emotionally. There was confusion and a state of amazement. It was very difficult for him to try to put himself in the situation and to remember the sequence of events”. As part of this reconstruction, extras were played by police officers and mannequins were also used.
Recall of facts
The drama of the carnival of Strépy-Bracquegnies dates back to March 20, 2022: a BMW car had struck, in the early morning, the procession of the carnival of Strépy during the collection of the gilles, killing six people and injuring around thirty others. The driver of the car, Paolo Falzone, has been in prison since the incident. He is charged with the murder of one of the victims of the tragedy. He is also charged with manslaughter for five other victims. The person concerned had to be on site for the reconstitution.
The reconstruction was to make it possible to remove certain gray areas around the backrest, at a specific moment in time, in particular in terms of the speed of the car and the visibility of the driver before the impact in the crowd.
The reconstruction of the tragic carnival of Strépy-Bracquegnies came to an end, leaving behind emotional and psychological scars for the victims and their families. The objective of the reenactment was to bring clarity to the investigation and shed light on the events leading to the incident. Despite the difficulty, the victims and their lawyers found the reconstruction to be instructive and helpful in their pursuit of justice. As the investigation continues, and the accused faces charges of murder and manslaughter, the community of Strépy-Bracquegnies must come together to heal from this tragic event.