A tribute ceremony for the victims of the Strépy-Bracquegnies tragedy was organized on January 15 on site, in agreement with the families, the communication department of the city of La Louvière indicated on Tuesday. The families wanted the ceremony to take place in the strictest privacy. A meditation that took place in front of the stele erected near the scene of the tragedy.
“We have positioned this stele in a place that does not impact local residents, because they too need to rebuild”, explains Jacques Gobert, the mayor of La Louvière. “This stele is a work produced by workers from the municipal authorities. During the covid period, we had positioned it in the squares where the various roundels were normally to be held while the carnivals were canceled. It symbolizes music, drums, the cash desk, the ramon… It is placed there with two commemorative plaques. One from the city and another from Gilles “LES BOUTE-EN-TRAIN”. This will allow for an isolated but visible place of contemplation”.
A car driven by Paolo Falzone had struck, on March 20, 2022 at 5:00 a.m., the carnival procession of Strépy-Bacquegnies (La Louvière) during the collection of Gilles. Six people were killed and 39 others were injured to varying degrees. Paolo Falzone, currently imprisoned, is charged with murder for one of the victims and manslaughter for the other five.
