Nearly 6,000 people gathered on Sunday in the southwestern French town of Fleurance for a silent march to pay tribute to Lyhanna, an 11-year-old schoolgirl found dead on Thursday. Led by her parents behind a banner reading “Never again,” mourners, including children, wore white shirts or T-shirts, many featuring a smiling portrait of the young victim.
The main suspect, Jérôme Barella, is now under arrest. Barella is the father of Lyhanna's school friend. Although he had faced previous allegations of raping minors and sexually abusing children, he had never been convicted.
The murder has prompted widespread outrage over systemic failures. It emerged that Barella had been accused of rape in the months before the murder, but a series of delays meant police failed to summon him for questioning. As anger filled conversations during the march, many questioned how the suspect was allowed to slip through the cracks.