“Spiderman”, the undocumented Malian hero received on Monday at the Elysee
In a few seconds, he climbed the facade of a Parisian building to save a child suspended in a vacuum on the 4th floor.
Mamoudou Gassama, a young undocumented Malian, became on Sunday a “hero”, 24 hours after his spontaneous act, filmed and seen millions of times on social networks.
This young man will be received, Monday morning at the presidential palace by Emmanuel Macron.
It is around 8pm on Saturday when firefighters are alerted by passersby who saw a child suspended in a vacuum on the fourth floor of a building in the north of the French capital.
On the spot, they discover that a young man has helped the child, four years old. “Luckily, there was someone who was physically fit and had the courage to pick up the child,” said the fire department.
Tous mes respects au héros #MamoudouGassama, ce #SansPapier d’origine malienne qui a eu le courage d’escalader jusqu’au 5eme étage d’un immeuble du 18e arrondissement de #Paris, pour sauver un enfant de 4 ans suspendu dans le vide, ouf!!!! #SachezLe #ABoraMaliLa pic.twitter.com/82mEX886NH
— Almamy Mam KANOUTÉ (@barbpanther) May 27, 2018
The scene, spectacular, was filmed by amazed passersby who had gathered at the bottom of the building.
On the video, we see the man climbing with bare hands and in about 30 seconds four balconies of the facade of the building, to recover the child who was suspended by a hand, in a vacuum, outside the building.
Broadcast on social networks, the video quickly became viral, with already more than four million views, Sunday at the end of the day.
Found in the media 24 hours after his gesture, Mamoudou Gassama, 22, tells his story. “I saw a lot of people screaming, and cars honking,” he said.
‘Thank God I saved him’
Enfant sauvé à Paris: “J’ai réussi à attraper le balcon, et Dieu merci, je l’ai sauvé “, témoigne le héros pic.twitter.com/dI9ALB5JWc
— BFM Paris (@BFMParis) May 27, 2018
According to the first elements of the investigation, the child found himself alone on the balcony in the absence of parents at home.
Many political reactions
Political reactions praising the young rescuer’s courage did not take long Sunday. “Congratulations to Mamoudou Gassama for his act of bravery” reacted on Twitter the socialist mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo.
Il m’a expliqué être arrivé du Mali il y a quelques mois en rêvant de construire sa vie ici. Je lui ai répondu que son geste héroïque est un exemple pour tous les citoyens et que la Ville de Paris aura évidemment à coeur de le soutenir dans ses démarches pour s’établir en France.
— Anne Hidalgo (@Anne_Hidalgo) May 27, 2018
LR (opposition) President of the Ile-de-France region Valérie Pécresse also reacted on Twitter.
Hommage et reconnaissance au sauveteur du jeune enfant qui n’a écouté que son courage et a escaladé la façade de l’immeuble pour le rattraper! https://t.co/3S7Qzy7ixG
— Valérie Pécresse (@vpecresse) May 27, 2018
Shortly after the incident, the child’s father, born in 1981 and without a judicial record, was taken into custody for leaving his child unattended.
He was brought to the Paris court Sunday evening for prosecution.
The child was placed in a reception facility. His mother was not in Paris at the time of the facts.
