The emotion is still intense after the death of Jonathan Destin, at 27 years old. Anonymous, association leaders, young people who knew him or not, continue to celebrate his memory on social networks. On Facebook, his mother Marie-Pierre announced this Thursday at the end of the morning the date of his funeral. “Jonathan’s funeral will take place on Monday August 29, 2022 at 9:30 a.m. in the Saint Amand church in Marquette-lez-Lille (North), meeting at the church at 9 a.m.”, she wrote on the account of her deceased son. at his home on Sunday. “The results of the examination attest that Jonathan died of natural causes, that his heart was tired, that he had too much suffering, too much care, he died in his sleep”, specifies Marie-Pierre.
Jonathan, we had met him, interviewed for our newspaper a few years ago. He was the emblem of the fight against school bullying – such a fair and strong fight – on behalf of the million students who are victims of it, like him, during their school career.
Beyond his end, so young, his story is tragic. In 2011, he attempted to set himself on fire. He wants to die. He is only 16 years old but he can’t stand the teasing about his weight, the bullying, the vexations, the beatings he has suffered for six years already from his classmates. He will survive. Burned to 72%, after an artificial coma of three months and more than twenty surgical operations.
Multiple interventions in schools
In 2013, he recounts what he experienced in a book “Doomed to kill me”. His book will be adapted for television five years later, “The day when I burned my heart”, a fiction with Michaël Youn that we can also see again or discover because TF 1 pays homage to him by putting it in line (visible for free on myTF1.fr). “The more we raise awareness, the more testimonies there are, the more we will help to put an end to harassment… It’s constructive for me, as long as I can help other people” he confided to us at the time of the interview. broadcast on TF 1.
Since then, he had not failed to travel across France, to animate multiple interventions in schools. Tirelessly and courageously. The Minister of National Education, Pap Ndiaye, as soon as his death was known, had said on Twitter: “I am committed to extending his word and his commitment to school. »
Nicola Sirkis, leader of the Indochine group, who had sponsored a major campaign against this scourge with the young man, tweeted at the start of the week: “Jonathan always eternally by your side. ” As we all.