The companion of the French policeman killed by a jihadist in Paris said on Tuesday that he felt “no hatred”, in a moving eulogy at a remembrance ceremony led by President Francois Hollande. Xavier Jugele (37) was shot dead on Thursday while on duty on the famous Champs Elysees avenue, three days before the first round of France’s presidential election.
The Islamic State (IS) claimed the killing by 39-year-old Karim Cheurfi, who was shot dead by police in a gun battle. Two other officers were injured in the attack.
Addressing hundreds of mourners at a ceremony at Paris police headquarters, Jugele’s partner Etienne Cardiles spoke of his “extreme pain” at the death of the officer, who had campaigned for gay rights within the police force. “This pain makes me feel closer to your comrades who suffer in silence like you and me,” he said in a trembling voice, describing Jugele as a cinema and theatre buff who lived “a life of joy and huge smiles”.
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Echoing the words of the husband of one of the victims of the November 2015 Paris attacks, Mr. Cardiles said the killer would “not have my hatred”. “I have no hatred, Xavier, because it is not like you and does not fit with what made your heart beat nor what made you a guardian of the peace,” he said. Jugele was the fifth policeman slain by jihadists in attacks that have claimed more than 230 lives across France since January 2015. Mr. Hollande posthumously made him a knight of the Legion d’Honneur, one of France’s highest honours.
Mr. Hollande appealed to the country’s next leader to show “constancy, perseverance and coherence in the fight [against extremists], rather than escalation and divisiveness”. Far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen and her pro-EU centrist rival Emmanuel Macron both attended the ceremony for Jugele.