Thousands of people gathered this Sunday in Nice to participate in a solemn march in memory of the 86 deceased and 486 injured in one of the bloodiest terrorist attacks in the history of the Fifth Republic: the mass vehicle-ramming attack perpetrated on July 14, 2016, on the emblematic Promenade des Anglais, the main maritime artery of the French city.
Around 10:30 p.m., Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, driving a 19-ton truck, began to ram pedestrians on the promenade and subsequently opened fire on civilians and police officers, who finally shot him dead. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack.
The residents of Nice, many with white roses in their hands, began the event with a prolonged applause dedicated to the city's firefighters before walking along the same promenade, replicating the route taken by the truck. The tribute concluded with a minute of silence at "The Angel of the Bay," the monument erected in memory of the victims, where wreaths of flowers were also laid.
Tomorrow, Monday, the victims and their loved ones will attend an interfaith ceremony scheduled for 4:30 p.m. at Villa Massena, also located on the Promenade des Anglais. On Tuesday, July 14, President Emmanuel Macron and the First Lady Brigitte Macron will lead a commemorative event at 6:00 p.m. that will include a concert by the Nice Philharmonic Orchestra at the Théâtre de Verdure.
A drone show over the Promenade des Anglais will mark the beginning of the final stage of these tributes at 10:00 p.m. Thirty-four minutes later, exactly ten years after the truck stopped its advance, the city will once again light up the 86 beams of light that illuminate the promenade each year on this date in memory of the victims.