The heartbroken partner of gay policeman Xavier Jugelé, who was killed by gunman Karim Cheurfi in the Champs-Élysées attack in Paris on 20 April, has married him in a posthumous ceremony, reports the Le Parisien.
Prior to his death, Etienne Cardiles and Jugele had been in a civil partnership.
French law allows for posthumous marriages to take place if there are ‘significant grounds’ for the marriage. Terror attacks fall within this criteria.
The Tuesday marriage service ceremony took place in the mayor’s office of the XIVth arrondissement. Among those to attend were former French President Francois Hollande and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo.
To go ahead with the posthumous marriage, a living spouse must apply to the president of France for permission and show proof that the deceased had an ‘unequivocal’ desire to wed.
Jugelé was a vocal supporter of LGBTI rights and the right for gay couples to marry. He was a member of FLAG, a French group for LGBTI law enforcement officials.
Following Jugelé’s death, Cardiles spoke powerfully at a memorial service for his partner on 25 April.
He said that Jugelé ‘lived like a star and left like a star,’ before saying he would not hate those responsible for his partner’s death.
‘I have no hatred, Xavier, because it is not like you and does not fit with what made your heart beat nor what made you a guardian of the peace.’
