More than a thousand people, but no minister: the funeral ceremony of the 2008 Nobel Prize in Medicine (with Françoise Barré-Sinoussi), Luc Montagnier, took place this followingnoon, in the Salle de la Coupole du Père Lachaise. Funeral attended by a grateful crowd: nearly a thousand people of all ages had come to pay tribute to the great researcher who died on February 8. Report.
An atmosphere of “freedom”
The barriers surrounding the entrance to the dome reserved access to relatives and personalities close to the biologist or who shared common struggles: we thus saw Laurent Toubiana, Jean-Dominique Michel, Martine Wonner, Christian Perronne, Alexandra Henrion- Caude or even Francis Lalanne, some of whom spent time with the population who had come to the site. Jean-Dominique Michel explained as follows: “ I am very touched to be here, he was a giant, he was a humanist, someone with integrity and generosity. He was a simple person, when I was able to talk to him, he was absolutely splendid in kindness and generosity.. »
The square was crowded with people, in an atmosphere of demonstration tinged with emotion. The crowd chanted, “Freedom, freedom, freedom! “. The applause resurfaced regularly. The atmosphere was fervent, a popular communion in memory of the professor who “sacred” their fight, as one participant explained. Those present testify to a real gratitude for the member of the Academy of Sciences: ” he had it all figured out. But as always when you understand before the others, it disturbs and most politicians and mainstream media have fallen on it “lamented Catherine.
A patriarch, icon of resistance
Prof. Montagnier had in particular questioned the origin of the Wuhan virus in the spring of 2020: the hypothesis he had presented had been vilified, while it now stands as the most plausible. The 89-year-old researcher then took a stand once morest health measures, including the mass vaccination campaign.
Olivier Soulier, doctor and spokesperson for the Liberté Santé union, welcomes this atmosphere: “ Do you see this fervor? It is the beating heart of France. It’s not the Elysée, it’s not the National Assembly, there’s no minister, but there are the French who say they love Luc Montagnier. All here, we are his heirs, his children, the old patriarch is gone but we are here to take over. I think that in the history of this pandemic, this funeral will remain as the moment when all the resistance fighters united. We will all remain worthy of what he taught us. »
Some of the participants were lucky enough to be on vacation, some even took their day off. Others had to make excuses for ” to dry ” work : ” I was in the office normally, but said I had to go to a funeral. I didn’t say which one, they let me go. »
The strong bond between the people and the teacher
The teacher represented someone who might speak “. Flora, who came with her husband and child, explains that she already admired him before the covid crisis: “ he is a researcher who had worked on the memory of water. I was in awe that a great researcher like him might venture into this. It had validated the effectiveness of homeopathy, these were products that I had always taken. He did not hesitate to work on autism, he was an avant-garde! »
A sad moment of this separation, but a moment of joy too, to feel that the number and the warmth of this assistance illustrate that he is leaving, but that his fight continues. Many figures of the resistance Parisian as the demonstrators like to call themselves, were present.
After a minute of silence, fully respected, the entourage and the personalities close to the professor greet one last time those who also applaud their presence, and head inside the funeral room for their last goodbye to the professor – Xavier Azalbert , director of the publication of FranceSoir, was invited there among others to say a word.
The noticeable absence of the authorities and other media
Marine, a participant explains: “ where is the president, where are the mainstream media? They went radio silent when he died. It’s a Nobel Prize. They know they were wrong and they are ashamed. But it is not acceptable that a government does not honor such a man, it is pathetic. »
Jean-Dominique Michel continues: “ to think that a disappearance like his, in a country like France, comes up once morest the shameful silence of the authorities and the mainstream media, who continue to try to smear his memory, at times when the sacred between life and death should prevail further strengthen us in the importance of the fight we are waging. »
At the exit, a solemn and spontaneous Marseillaise sounded. There is no doubt that it will resonate for a long time in the hearts of those who honored with their presence the memory of the great man whose mischievous smile was in everyone’s mind.
See as well
The tribute of Dr Gérard Guillaume: “History will end up proving Professor Montagnier right”
The tribute of Jean-Pierre G. who looks back on his discoveries: “Thank you, Professor Montagnier”
