"He's gone as a hero". On this Saturday, March 24, 2018, a few hours later the announcement of the death of Lieutenant-Colonel Arnaud Beltrame, his brother Cedric summarized in a few words the general feeling. Soon, many voices were raised to demand that a national tribute be given to the officer who sacrificed himself by replacing on Friday the hostages held by Radouane Lakdim at the Super U Trèbes in the Aude.

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Following a restricted defense council held Saturday afternoon, the Elysee announced that such a ceremony would take place in the days to come. "The President of the Republic decided that a national tribute would be organized in honor of Lieutenant-Colonel Arnaud Beltrame, who gave the gift of his life to protect our fellow citizens," said the presidency.

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In a statement released earlier today, President Emmanuel Macron called "every Frenchman to honor the memory" of a man "dead in the service of the nation" who "deserves respect and admiration of the entire nation. ". "Death for the fatherland. France will never forget her heroism, her bravery, her sacrifice ", tweeted the Minister of the Interior Gerard Collomb.

Rain of tributes on social networks

Saturday, the National Gendarmerie decided to put his flags and flags at half mast in tribute to the one who had made his career in this institution, from the Ecole des Officiers de la Gendarmerie Nationale to the gendarmerie group of Aude. The same decision in the National Assembly, where a "solemn tribute in session" was also planned for next week.

On social networks, the name and photo of Arnaud Beltrame have been widely shared. "Let us remember the names of the heroes, forget those of the assassins," tweeted a user, summarizing the opinion of many others. The journalist Thomas Sotto expressed the wish that "a very busy avenue, in the heart of Paris" bears the name of the soldier for "that later children ask their parents:" who was it, Arnaud Beltrame? " .

The laudatory terms used to greet the memory of the forty-year-old were innumerable: "courage", "bravery", "self-denial", "example", "quintessence of the sense of duty", "sense of sacrifice", "model", "definition of heroism "," great man "... His superiors noted in him" a soldier who "fights to the end and never gives up". "Today, we are #AllGendarmes," concluded the national police.