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WORLD NEWS Tuesday 29 May 2018

France: Macron rewards migrant hero who saved dangling child

By SYLVIE CORBET Gassama told Macron that
ELAINE GANLEY he arrived in Italy in 2014
Associated Press after more than a year
PARIS (AP) — President in Libya, where he was
Emmanuel Macron on arrested and beaten, "but I
Monday lauded as a hero wasn't discouraged."
a migrant who scaled an The father of the child was
apartment building to save detained overnight for
a young child dangling alleged parental neglect,
from a balcony, and and is to appear in court in
rewarded him with French September. He left the child
nationality and a job as a alone while he shopped,
firefighter. then lingered to play
"Bravo," Macron said to Pokemon Go, Prosecutor
22-year-old Mamoudou Francois Molins told BFM-
Gassama during a one-on- TV. The whereabouts of
one meeting in a gilded the child's mother were
room of the presidential unclear.
Elysee Palace that ended The French president said
with Gassama receiving Gassama's actions made
a gold medal from the him deserving of special
French state for "courage treatment.
and devotion." French President Emmanuel Macron, left, meets with Mamoudou Gassama, 22, from Mali, at the "You saved a child. Without
Gassama's feat went viral presidential Elysee Palace in Paris, Monday, May, 28, 2018. Associated Press you, no one knows what
on social media, where he would have become of
was dubbed "Spiderman" white shirt, recounted his "Because this is an told reporters, vowing to him," the president said.
for climbing up five floors, experience which took exceptional act ... we maintain a policy that is "You need courage and
from balcony to balcony, place at around 8 p.m. are obviously, today, "exigent, respectful of our the capability to do that."
and whisking a four-year- Saturday when he and going to regularize all principles" on asylum and Working as a firefighter
old boy to safety Saturday friends saw a young child your papers," Macron told "rigorous" regarding the corresponds with his skills,
night as a crowd screamed hanging from a fifth-floor him, also offering to begin migratory flux. Macron said, and opened
at the foot of the building in balcony. naturalization procedures The special treatment the door for him to join.
Paris' northern 18th district. "I ran. I crossed the street to so he can become French. for Gassama comes as "You have become an
The young man said he save him," he told Macron. Macron is behind a authorities prepare to example because millions
has papers to legally stay He said he didn't think bill toughening French evacuate some 2,400 have seen you" on social
in Italy, where he arrived in twice. "When I started to immigration law, and migrants in makeshift media, the president said.
Europe after crossing the climb, it gave me courage he stressed there is no encampments in the Another Malien, Lassana
Mediterranean, ending a to keep climbing." contradiction between French capital, the subject Bathily, was given French
long, rough stay in Libya. God "helped me," too, he rewarding Gassama for his of a heated debate citizenship in January 2015,
But he came to France last said. "Thank God I saved act of bravery and holding between the Paris mayor, shortly after saving lives
September to join his older him." firm on immigration, which who wants to ensure the during a terror attack on
brother, who has lived in Gassama said he began the president wants to stop uprooted will be sheltered, a Jewish grocery where
France for decades. to tremble with fear only at its source. and Interior Minister Gerard he worked, hiding people
Gassama, dressed in when he took the child into "An exceptional act does Collomb, who was present in the freezer and then
tattered blue jeans and the apartment. not make policy," he later at the Elysee. alerting police.q