Several thousand people gather this Saturday, November 22 in Marseille to pay tribute to Mehdi Kessaci, who was assassinated on November 13. A pre-recorded speech by his brother, Amine, who is committed to opposing drug trafficking and was present at the scene with his mother, was broadcast. Libération reproduces it in full.
“On behalf of my brother Mehdi, who died in vain, executed in the middle of the street, on behalf of my family torn apart in pain, on behalf of my entire family, I want to thank you for mobilizing today.
“My brother Mehdi is innocent. He is only guilty for being my brother. He is kind, honest, sincere. He has life ahead of him. Remember his name. Sound it or whisper it, it doesn’t matter. Repeat his name a thousand times. Don’t let him be forgotten which is the second death. Mehdi, Mehdi, Mehdi. Mehdi is my brother. I am inconsolable.
“I demand justice for Mehdi. I demand justice for Brahim, my other brother who was killed. I demand security for my family.
“My brother Mehdi wants to be a peacekeeper. Peace must return to our environment. Our young generation must be able to grow up without fear of death. It is not because we live in a working class environment that our lives are worthless.
“My brother died in vain, and we were treated as nothing.
“We are precious too. We also want a future. We too, our nights are mixed with nightmares and dreams. We also love our parents, and our parents love their children.
“A politician proposed that I receive the Legion of Honor, but I did not seek any honor for myself. My chest was too heavy with pain to accept any award.
“It is the mothers in the neighborhood who deserve appreciation. For their courage, their dignity, for their daily struggle. My mother fought to raise and protect us. And today she lost her two sons. However, she was the one who allowed me to stand.
“For his sake, I will not remain silent. I will continue to say what my eyes see, what my mind knows, and what my heart dictates.
“We have been warning people for years. We speak because we know that silence is deadly. But who listens to us?
“The state has abandoned us for too long. Every setback that occurs supports the progress of the drug trade. The loss of public services, the end of community policing, the lack of investigative resources, teachers who are in high demand but given few. This is what makes traffickers their business.
“Of course we need police officers, security. Of course, we have to strengthen the means to fight drug trafficking. But we need social justice, commitment from the State and society, support for associations that do work every day with very few resources, and I know what I’m talking about because for many years the Conscience association, headed by my mother, operated with very few resources.
“We are not asking for donations. We are demanding justice. All of France must understand that what is happening in our neighborhood is important. This country turned a blind eye to what we experienced, and now they are aware of the monster that has infiltrated everywhere. Our country has a problem with drugs: it lives in addiction. And this addiction is exploited by the drug trade. Psychological suffering and growing misery are powerful weapons in their hands. They direct their attention to the lost children of the Republic, dehumanizing them by educating them like wild animals, then turning them into they are obedient slaves.
“Here’s the reality: the drug trade is recruiting. The drug trade controls. The drug trade corrupts. And the drug trade kills. No one can say we don’t know anymore.
“My brothers are dead. But you are all still alive. We are still alive. I don’t know what my life will be like now. But I know that I need you, your commitment, as time goes by.
“Enter the resistance. Fight, because fighting means living.
“I want to see all hands raised. Raise your hands up to pay tribute to my murdered brothers and sisters. Raise them up to say we are together. Raise them up to say this country will not bow its head. Raise your hands and stand up. Don’t sit back and wait for the drug trade to destroy our lives and our country. For our environment, for justice, for our families, for our lives, let’s stand up. Stand up, stand up, stand up.”
