On Wednesday afternoon, April 30, dozens of families attended the inauguration of a new playground in the Gros-Buisson Park, in Vigneux-Sur-Seine, south of Paris, designed for children under ten years of age. The project, valued in 90.000 euroshe was born in the bosom Municipal Children’s Council Two years ago and was celebrated by the community as a collective achievement. One of the children’s own children was in charge of cutting the tape in a ceremony chaired by the mayor, Thomas Chazal.
Only 24 hours later, on Thursday at 9:15 p.m., when the park prepared to close its doors, a fire broke out. Despite the rapid intervention of firefighters from the Vigneux-Sur-Seine Relief Center, the flames burned part of the infrastructure: several of the children’s games and part of the synthetic soil were reduced to ashes.
The Mayor’s Office, which has confirmed what happened this Friday, qualifies the fact as a “criminal act.” In a statement signed by the entire municipal council, Mayor Chazal expresses his outrage: “It is a project that came to us from the Children’s Council. Two years of work for this. We are desolate by them. ”
The reaction of citizenship was swift. From the first hour of this Friday, multiple residents shared messages of sadness and disbelief in social networks. One of the most commented publications included a video where the fire is seen devouring the main game of the park. “Why destroy something done for children?” A neighbor wondered.
The emotional impact of this act has been deep. For many families, the playground represented not only an leisure space, but also a symbol of renewal and neighborhood coexistence.
From the first moment, the Consistory has defended the hypothesis of a caused fire. According to the mayor, the “preserved frame” in which the park is unlikely any accidental cause. In its statement, the City Council denounces an “act of destruction” perpetrated by “A minority of vandals”.
This same Friday morning a complaint has been filed with the competent authorities. In addition, the images captured by the video surveillance cameras installed around the park, with the aim of identifying those responsible.
“Everything you need to clarify the facts will be done, the guilty are identified and sanctioned at the height of the seriousness of the act,” says the municipality. Meanwhile, barriers and safety tapes have been placed around the affected area.
Beyond the economic damage, which is estimated at tens of thousands of euros, the fire has meant a symbolic and emotional blow to Vigneux-Sur-Seine. “This space had been conceived for families, to beautify our city and improve life in the neighborhoods,” says the mayor in a second statement released this Friday. “Here not only have games been burned, but also weeks of work, public resources and, above all, The illusion of our children.”
The mayor ensures that the game area It will be rebuiltalthough it does not offer details about deadlines or budgets. “Those who thought this would make us go back, are wrong. We will continue to invest and transform so that living in Vigneux-Sur-Seine is a pride,” he concludes.
But the case of Vigneux-Sur-Seine is not isolated. In France, acts of vandalism against public spaces – especially children’s areas, colleges and transport – suppose A recurring problem. According to data from the Ministry of Interior, the municipalities annually allocate several hundred millions of euros to repair the damages caused by these crimes.
The motivations of those who commit these acts usually vary, from boredom to the symbolic opposition against authority. But the consequences are constant: lost public resources, affected communities and a growing feeling of impotence among citizens.
In Vigneux-Sur-Seine, what happened has reopened the debate on how to protect common spaces in front of a minority that acts outside the general interest. The reconstruction of the playground, beyond a simple repair, now considers as An act of resistance Community
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