Anne, la fille trisomique de Charles de Gaulle

Paris Match | Publié le 27/08/2020 David Ramasseul

Charles et Anne de Gaulle en Bretagne en 1933.
Charles et Anne de Gaulle en Bretagne en 1933. Archives De Gaulle

A l’occasion de la sortie en DVD/Blu-Ray de «De Gaulle», le film événement de Gabriel Le Bonim, Paris Match vous raconte la face intime du Général. 

Enfant, alors que la plupart des petites filles de son âge pépient comme des oiseaux, elle ne sait prononcer clairement qu’un seul mot : « Papa ». Est-ce ce mot qu’Anne, âgée de cinq ans, prononce assise sur les genoux de son père ? Le cliché a été pris en Bretagne en 1933. La même année, Adolf Hitler est nommé chancelier d’Allemagne. Mais, à cet instant, Charles De Gaulle n’est qu’un père attentif et heureux, tout entier concentré sur celle qu’il appelle « ma joie ». Anne est née en 1928 atteinte du syndrome de Dawn : la trisomie 21. L’accouchement d’Yvonne de Gaulle a été difficile et douloureux. Anne en gardera des séquelles qui lui rendront la marche difficile. Mais celui qui n’est pas encore le grand Charles et son épouse voient en cette enfant une bénédiction : Anne « était aussi une grâce, elle m’a aidé à dépasser tous les échecs et tous les hommes, à voir plus haut » dira-t-il en 1940.

Anne de Gaulle, enfant.
Anne de Gaulle, enfant. DR

L’infinie fragilité de la petite fille a nourri la force du général. Pour elle, le militaire inflexible devenait un soldat discipliné, incapable de dire non à ses exigences et prêt à tout pour la protéger. Alors qu’il est en poste à Metz, à la veille de la grande tragédie de la Seconde Guerre Mondiale, De Gaulle demande que l’on ouvre les grilles du jardin botanique dès 7 heures du matin quand le temps est clément.

Anne meurt à 20 ans, en 1948, d’une pneumonie

Il veut pouvoir se promener avec Anne dans les allées désertes sans que les badauds dévisagent cette enfant aux traits curieusement asiatiques qui se déplace avec peine. Exilé en Angleterre, rien ne peut se mettre en travers de sa route quand il a décidé de passer du temps avec sa fille dans le résidence temporaire à Hampstead. Anne s’est prise de passion pour le képi de son père avec lequel elle joue pendant des heures. Il n’y a qu’avec elle que de Gaulle se laisse aller aux élans d’affection dont il est si avare avec ses proches. Elle est son moteur, sa cause première, celle qui a fait de lui un grand homme. Il en est infiniment conscient. « Sans Anne, peut-être n’aurais-je jamais fait ce que j’ai fait. Elle m’a donné le cœur et l’inspiration » avoue-t-il à Jean Lacouture, son biographe.

novembre 1969 : à la Toussaint, le général Charles De Gaulle et son épouse Yvonne viennent se recueillir sur la tombe de leur fille Anne
novembre 1969 : à la Toussaint, le général Charles De Gaulle et son épouse Yvonne viennent se recueillir sur la tombe de leur fille Anne © WURTZ Gérard/MELET Georges

Anne meurt à 20 ans, en 1948, d’une pneumonie dans les bras de son père. Le chêne est foudroyé. A la fin des funérailles, à Colombey-les-Deux-Églises, De Gaulle est debout devant la tombe, le visage plongé dans ses mains. Le prêtre se souvient de cet instant où l’homme qui avait sauvé l’honneur de la France, le grand soldat qui avait affronté la barbarie nazie n’est plus qu’un père inconsolable : « Je me suis agenouillé pour prononcer une prière. Quand je me suis relevé, il a fait deux pas vers moi et il s’est littéralement effondré sur mon épaule. Peut-être étions-nous ridicules : Sancho Pança soutenant Don Quichotte ». Quelques instants plus tard, alors que le corps d’Anne vient d’être inhumé, Charles et Yvonne se recueillent devant la tombe de leur fille. Il pose sa main sur le bras de son épouse et lui murmure : « Maintenant, elle est comme les autres. » Plus jamais, le souvenir d’Anne n’a quitté le Général. Elle lui a même peut-être sauvé la vie le 22 août 1962, lors de l’attentat du Petit Clamart : Une balle a été déviée par le cadre de la photo d’Anne qu’Yvonne emportait toujours et partout. Anne vit encore à travers la fondation Anne de Gaulle, fondée par Charles et Yvonne pour offrir un toit et des soins aux jeunes filles handicapées sans ressources. Quand le général de Gaulle est mort, le 9 novembre 1970, il a été inhumé aux côtés de sa fille. Pour l’éternité, son « papa » veille sur elle.

Moment five South Carolina deputies shoot dead armed man as he reaches for his gun

Sheriff’s deputies have released bodycam footage of the moment they fatally shot an armed man in the back while he tried to escape them in South Carolina. 

Michael Culbertson, a 26-year-old white man wanted for reckless driving and resisting arrest, died in the shooting by Greenville County deputies on July 11. 

The footage shows Culbertson reaching for a firearm before he is shot in a hail of bullets with five of the seven deputies firing at him as he tried to run away. 

Culbertson fell to the ground and his own ammunition supply was discovered on the road before he was taken to hospital and pronounced dead, authorities said.   Bodycam footage released this week by Greenville County sheriff's deputies shows the moment 26-year-old Michael Culbertson was fatally shot+5

Bodycam footage released this week by Greenville County sheriff’s deputies shows the moment 26-year-old Michael Culbertson was fatally shot 

The deputies involved in the shooting have been cleared of violating Greenville County policy, Sheriff Hobart Lewis said. 

However, a state criminal investigation into whether shooting Culbertson was justified is still ongoing.

The sheriff’s office released the edited body camera footage with commentary from its own deputies on Tuesday. 

Captain Michael Brown said the shooting unfolded at around 5pm on July 11 after deputies tracked down Culbertson in their unmarked vehicle. 

Culbertson had ‘multiple active warrants for his arrest’ for reckless driving, resisting arrest, failure to stop for blue lights and interfering with police, Brown said, and his death ended two days of searching for him.   

The footage starts with the deputies jumping from the back of their van to confront Culbertson, with one officer yelling: ‘Let me see your f***ing hands’.  

Within three seconds, Culbertson was reaching for his pocket to retrieve a weapon with his right hand – prompting one of the officers to open fire.  

After failing to arrest Culbertson the previous day, sheriff's deputies tracked him down in an unmarked van before jumping out to confront him

After failing to arrest Culbertson the previous day, sheriff’s deputies tracked him down in an unmarked van before jumping out to confront him Officers said Culbertson was reaching for a firearm in his right pocket, prompting five of the seven deputies to open fire at him

Officers said Culbertson was reaching for a firearm in his right pocket, prompting five of the seven deputies to open fire at him 

There was a brief pause after the first shot as Culbertson keeps running and appears to try to shift the gun in his right hand, while holding a cell phone in his left. 

Then a barrage of shots from deputies is heard and seen as Culbertson falls to the street about 10 seconds after the first officer jumped from the van. 

The footage then shows a 9mm handgun and a magazine containing ‘multiple rounds of ammunition’ lying on the ground near Culberton’s body as deputies run up and begin first aid. 

Deputies carried out CPR until emergency services arrived on the scene and took Culbertson to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.  

Michael Culbertson (pictured) was wanted for reckless driving, interfering with police, failing to stop for blue lights and resisting arrest

Michael Culbertson (pictured) was wanted for reckless driving, interfering with police, failing to stop for blue lights and resisting arrest 

‘Culbertson’s actions led to the deputies taking the necessary force that unfortunately led to his death,’ said Greenville County sheriff Hobart Lewis. 

The State Law Enforcement Division investigation into the shooting continues.

The names of the deputies have not been released. Two were in uniform and five others were part of a special team to arrest fugitives, authorities said.

Deputies tried to arrest Culbertson the day before the shooting, but he evaded arrest, the sheriff’s office said.

Investigators then spoke to his family, and Culbertson’s grandfather, who lives a few houses away from where he was killed and took a call from his grandson as a deputy stood near enough to hear the conversation.

Culberton refused to say where he was, but told his grandfather ‘I’m not going to jail. They’ll have to kill me,’ Carey Reese said.

Reese told The Greenville News he thinks that comment led deputies to decide to shoot at his grandson instead of trying something else.

‘Michael had a mouth,’ Reese said.

Culbertson called his grandfather three more times, but Reese did not answer.

‘I could just kick myself. I didn’t talk to him. That would have been the last chance I could have talked to him,’ Reese said.  Five of the seven officers opened fire at Culbertson, but an investigation by the sheriff's office has been cleared of violating Greenville County policy

Five of the seven officers opened fire at Culbertson, but an investigation by the sheriff’s office has been cleared of violating Greenville County policy Sheriff's deputies said a loaded 9mm handgun and a magazine containing several rounds of ammunition were recovered from the scene

Sheriff’s deputies said a loaded 9mm handgun and a magazine containing several rounds of ammunition were recovered from the scene 

Incidents such as this have been under severe scrutiny in recent months following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and resulting wave of protests against police brutality. 

The most recent wave of anger has surrounded the shooting of Jacob Blake, a black man who is in hospital after being shot seven times at point-blank range by police. 

The Wisconsin Department of Justice yesterday gave its first official account of Blake’s shooting, saying he had a knife ‘in his possession’ when he was shot. 

But anger over the shooting has led to nightly protests in Kenosha, which ended in further gunfire on Tuesday night that left two people dead.  

President Donald Trump announced he was deploying federal law enforcement and National Guard troops to Kenosha ‘to restore law and order’. 

Democratic rival Joe Biden meanwhile said he has spoken to Blake’s family, and promised them ‘justice.’ 

‘What I saw on that video makes me sick,’ Biden said of the shooting footage. ‘I told them justice must and will be done.’ 

Скоро на пляже рядом с вами? Друзья из Торонто запускают причудливый купальник “Брокини” для мужчин.

Они утверждают, что он идеально подходит для “мальчишников”

Два “братана” из Торонто запустили в моду то, что, как они надеются, станет самой горячей тенденцией в купальниках для мужчин: Brokinis.

Чад Саско и Тейлор Филд стоят за сомнительной пляжной одеждой, “бикини для мужчин”, которая “стильно продемонстрирует ваш комплект” и “разочарует ваших родителей”. Купальник – по сути, плавки с одной длинной лямкой, пересекающей торс – может показаться шуточным продуктом а-ля Борат, но Саско и Филд настаивают на том, что он абсолютно реален и доступен для покупки онлайн.

Summer look: Two 'bros' from Toronto have launched what they hope will be the next hottest trend in swimwear for men: Brokinis

Innovation: Chad Sasko and Taylor Field are behind the questionable beachwear, a 'bikini for men' that will 'show off your package in style' and 'disappoint your parents'

Continue reading “Скоро на пляже рядом с вами? Друзья из Торонто запускают причудливый купальник “Брокини” для мужчин.”