He enjoyed playing Call of Duty and FIFA, although he wasn't much into football. He loved Japanese anime, spending days in his Lakers jersey and going to the gym at Basic Fit. He loved early summer evenings, those where you drink, laugh and feel alive. He liked to go on vacation to Thoiras, in the South, or to a colony in the North. He liked to show slightly stupid videos to his colleagues during smoke breaks. In fact, he loved his job as an educator, at the town hall and the neighborhood center. Grande-Synthe, in return, loved him.
Flowers in tribute to Philippe.
It is in this town of 20,000 inhabitants that Philippe, 23, died, beaten, on Tuesday April 16. The town, bordering Dunkirk, is in shock. The residents met by Marianne express a mixture of anger and praise for the human qualities of this “ man who wouldn't hurt a fly “.
Anger is amplified by the mechanics of social networks and the shock of images. For good reason: an unbearable photo of his disfigured face landed on many smartphones as well as on the X feed (Twitter) of many users.
Some have even seen a video in which Philippe lies naked on the ground. The victim's brother, Kelvyn, who manages communication for his family with journalists, denounced to BFMTV a ” inhumane aggression » : « I think it's a bunch of barbarians who enjoy destroying the lives ofpeople “.
