Rue d'Aubagne: the defendants, "irresponsible", accuses the mother of a victim

Her voice remains even, even gentle, when she talks about "those who could have done something and didn't." Liliana Lalonde reels off the long list of failures, from the botched appraisal of 65 rue d'Aubagne on October 18, 2018, to the inaction of the trustee in the face of tenants' fears. So many "things done badly" that led to the disaster of November 5, 2018, when eight people, including her youngest son aged 30, were swept away in the collapse of a building in downtown Marseille.

These "irresponsible people" must understand that "every act has consequences that can be very, very serious," she says. Julien's sudden death on this rainy Monday morning, "an absolute tragedy" for his family, must give "something positive," continues this Peruvian woman who now lives in Normandy in hesitant French.

Julien, a young man unanimously described as "very sociable", for whom friends were family, is still missed by everyone. His youngest niece still asks, "why Julien is not here" for her birthday, when he had "promised".

“See Marseille differently”

"For six years we have tried to find peace," sums up Liliana Lalonde: "What helps me to continue is to tell myself that it has put my finger on a huge problem," that of poor housing.

She welcomes the "efforts" made, in particular, to check the condition of apartments, "as a precaution". But, she deplores, "there is still a lot to do, and everyone must get involved, including the government, because it is not just in Marseille".

Close to the parents of the young Italian Simona Carpignano, Liliana would like the relatives of the victims of the rue d'Aubagne to continue to meet regularly, "but rather to talk about the living than the dead: to talk about all those who have been displaced, all those who still have so much trouble raising their heads".

This trial, which she plans to attend throughout the six weeks of hearings, will also allow her, she hopes, to "move on" and return to Marseille "for other reasons". Because, despite the tragedy, Liliana Lalonde does not blame this city that her son loved so much.

It was Julien who had made her rediscover Marseille. She knew the second city of France, since she had worked in Peru for the IRD (the Institute of Research and Development), whose headquarters is in Marseille. "At the time I had visited the port, the coves", but it was her son who had made her discover "the real city, the other side".

Julien, who worked in tourism and had seen many different cities and countries, loved the cosmopolitanism of his Noailles neighborhood. "He told me: 'Here, I travel all the time,'" Liliana recalls.