A final farewell for Paris massacre victims

28.05.2020 18:42

Families of the victims of the Paris terror attacks have begun laying their loved ones to rest as emotional funerals for them are held around Europe.

Today, mourners were paying their last respects at two services in France and another in Belgium for their relatives and friends who were gunned down in the French capital almost two weeks ago.

Among the services being held today was the funeral of Aurelie de Peretti, a 33-year-old musician, who was killed at the Bataclan concert hall during a gig by Eagles of Death Metal.

Mourners joined her father Jean-Marie and her mother Laurence for the ceremony in Saint Tropez on the French Riviera.

Her body was brought to the service in a personalised coffin, which has been painted by a street artist with animals, a record player and adorned with the word love.

It came after her family launched a worldwide appeal for an artist to decorate Aurelie's coffin in a manner befitting a rock music fan.

A family friend said: 'Aurelie's family went to the funeral home and discovered with horror that the coffins were all pretty much the same.'

As mourners stood by her coffin, they also held red and white balloons as they paid their last respects.

The service came as Mr de Peretti said he would be boycotting a national day of mourning in France tomorrow for victims of the massacres after accusing the French government of allowing the murders to happen.

Referring to the Charlie Hebdo murders earlier this year, when ISIS gunmen again brought carnage to the streets of Paris, Mr De Peretti said: 'I remember the January attacks.

'The very next day, there were strong announcements. For the protest rallies in the streets of Paris, security became a national cause. I believed it all! But what's happened?'

Elsewhere in north-west France, pallbearers carried the coffin of 33-year-old Guillaume Le Dramp to his funeral.

A priest greeted the funeral procession at the church in Cherbourg-Octeville as mourners waited outside to lay Mr Le Dramp to rest after he was gunned down during the terror attacks.

Meanwhile in Belgium, there were emotional scenes as family and friends said goodbye to 26-year-old Elif Dogan.

Miss Dogan, who was of Turkish origin died at the Casa Nostra restaurant alongside her partner 47-year-old Milko Jozic, who was also killed.

The pair had both just moved to Paris a few months before ISIS gunmen launched their siege.

Hundreds of mourners turned out for the funeral in Liege, with mourners placing white roses on her coffin.

(dailymail.co.uk)