TRADERS and businesses have succeeded in collecting more than €100,000 to help a local printer after his printworks was badly damaged and machinery destroyed in the siege of the Charlie Hebdo killers in January.
The businesses in the Union des Commerçants, Artisans, Industriels et Professions Libérales at Dammartin-en-Goëlle in Seine-et-Marne called for help in raising funds on the crowdfunding website Leetchi.com.
When the fundraising time limit ran out at the weekend nearly 2,500 people had donated money to hit a final total of more than €102,000.
François Alves of the UCAIPL said they were “obviously delighted” that they had raised more than the target €100,000 but had still hoped for more.
Money raised will help CTD printshop owner Michel Catalano get his business going again and get his staff back working.
He was held hostage for an hour and a half as police tried to negotiate with the two Kouachi brothers, responsible for killing 12 people in the Paris offices of satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo. One of his employees hid in the building for eight hours during and after the siege.
The money will help pay for temporary premises while repairs are carried out to the facade but also to pay for new machinery – as three industrial printers were destroyed and each costs between €80,000 and €100,000 to replace.
Mr Catalano has already received a first payment of €120,000 from his insurers but has not so far been able to find suitable premises to get his printers up and running.
The five printshop staff are on chômage technique, with their pay being partially state-aided and Mr Catalano said that the business was not now making any money. He was disappointed that promised urgent aid from local councils and the government had not come through.
His business was destroyed when the Kouachi brothers tried to break out of a gendarmerie siege of the building on January 9 saying they wanted to “die as martyrs”.
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