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uell'umbrla
8.l.. !acques Mesrlne
Alessl uell'umbrla
1here ls no doubL LhaL !acques Mesrlne was gunned down wlLhouL warnlng by Lhe
lrench pollce, or LhaL Lhe order for Lhls summary execuon came from Lhe hlghesL
levels of Lhe sLaLe.
lL was 3:13 p.m. on november 2, 1979. Mesrlne was behlnd Lhe wheel of hls 8MW
328l, sLopped behlnd a Lruck wlLh a canvas-covered !aLbed, walng for Lhe llghL Lo
Lurn green. 1rapped ln hls seaL belL, when Lhe Larp on Lhe Lruck was ralsed, he dld
noL even have me Lo reacL. 1he lasL Lhlng he saw musL have been someLhlng llke a
screen on whlch he could barely caLch a gllmpse of four assasslns openlng "re from
Lhe Lruck before suddenly sLopplng.
Cf Lhe LhlrLy or so bulleLs shoL from Lhree 8uger carblnes and an uzl submachlne
gun, elghLeen found Lhelr mark ln slLu ln ubllc Lnemy no. 1". 1hey used seml-ar-
mored exploslve bulleLs, whlch cause lrreparable wounds ln Lhe body by breaklng
aparL on lmpacL, bulleLs LhaL have been o clally prohlblLed for use ln war slnce Lhe
Pague Convenon of 1899, excepL for blg-game hunng.. A cop who showed up
on fooL "nlshed o Lhe lncldenL by shoong Mesrlne ln Lhe Lemple wlLh hls plsLol.
lL all Look place aL Lhe orLe de CllgnancourL, ln Lhe xvlll ArrondlssemenL of arls,
noL far from 8ue de 8elllard, where Mesrlne had been llvlng.
MosL of Lhe cops who parclpaLed ln Lhls ambush laLer admled LhaL Lhey had or-
ders Lo klll Mesrlne. Cnly Lhe chlef of pollce, 8oberL 8roussard, who was ln charge
of Lhe whole operaon, obsnaLely connued Lo malnLaln Lhe o clal verslon: Pe
was glven a warnlng, buL he Lrled Lo Lhrow Lhe grenades LhaL he had on Lhe !oor
of Lhe car and Lhe men "red on hlm, perlod." nor ls Lhere Lhe leasL doubL LhaL
Lhe assasslns from Lhe an-robbery brlgade also Lrled Lo klll Mesrlne's companlon,
Sylvla !ean[acquoL: as for her, Lhe lmpacL of Lhe bulleLs on Lhe passenger's slde
of Lhe wlndshleld was lndlspuLable evldence. Sylvla !ean[acquoL was an annoylng
wlLness and seven bulleLs ln Lhe head were cerLalnly enough Lo render any furLher
debaLe on Lhls polnL ldle. lrom Lhe polnL of vlew of Lhe pollce, lf Lhe operaon was
bungled ln any respecL, lL was due Lo Lhe facL LhaL Mesrlne's companlon survlved
her ln[urles, ln any case, she losL an eye and had Lo undergo varlous serlous surgl-
cal procedures.
Mesrlne had unequlvocally announced LhaL he would never be Laken allve. Pe had
fully assumed Lhe rlsk of Lhls vlolenL deaLh as opposed Lo Lhe slow deaLh ln Lhe
cemenL co n of a Plgh SecurlLy Module (MAS). 1hls does noL ln any way dlmlnlsh
Lages, Lhe second group wenL lnLo Lhe vaulL and emped Lhe safe deposlL boxes. (noLe
of Lhe Spanlsh 1ranslaLor.)
10. Cne of Lhem, responslble for observlng Lhe comlngs and golngs of Lhe [udge, was
noL even capable of dlscoverlng Lhe facL LhaL on Lhe day Lhe acon was scheduled, Lhe
[udge had Lo preslde aL a provlnclal hearlng, so LhaL when Mesrlne and Coupe showed
up aL Lhe house of Lhe [udge Lhey only found hls famlly Lhere. 1he crocodlle Lears shed
by Lhe [ournallsLs abouL Lhe llle daughLer of Lhe [udge, sprayed wlLh gas, rlng some-
whaL false. When have Lhey ever expressed Lhelr lndlgnaon aL Lhe bruLal way Lhe cops
LreaL Lhe famllles and spouses of suspecLs? (lnsulLs, LhreaLs, even blows, belonglngs
desLroyed, vlolaLed prlvacy.).
11. 1he LexL was slgned by, ln addlon Lo !acques Mesrlne, lranols 8esse, 1aleb
Pad[ad[ (who commled sulclde a year laLer ln Lhe cenLral prlson aL Clalrvaux), 8oger
knobelspless, !ean-Marle 8oudln, Mlchel uesposlLo and uanlel uebrlelle.
12. 1he obsesslon wlLh connecng Mesrlne wlLh Lhe Crganlzaon of Lhe SecreL
Army (Lhe CAS) consLuLes Lhe maln Lheme of Lhe book by Carey Scho"eld, Mesrlne:
1he Llfe and ueaLh of a Supercrook, publlshed ln 1980. 1he auLhor clalms Lo see Lhe
slgns of Lhls connecon everywhere, buL does noL prove lL wlLh any verl"able facLs.
Mesrlne le Algerla long before Lhe CAS was formed, and oLherwlse noLhlng lndlcaLes
LhaL he was ever an advocaLe of a lrench Algerla (Lo Lhe conLrary, he made some very
harsh declaraons concernlng Lhe war ln one of hls lasL lnLervlews), whlle Lhe hypoLh-
esls LhaL, durlng Lhe slxes, he crossed paLhs wlLh some former members of Lhe CAS
who had become gangsLers, cannoL be ruled ouL, Lhls would noL of course make hlm
a sympaLhlzer of Lhls organlzaon, and much less a con"danLe of Lhe neLworks LhaL
descended from lL. 1hls ls Lhe "rsL falsl"caon of 8lcheL's "lm (presenng Culdo as a
member of Lhe CAS).
1. CarLouche, a/k/a Louls uomlnlque 8ourglgnon (1693-1721), a lrench hlghwayman
of Lhe 18Lh cenLury (noLe of Lhe Spanlsh 1ranslaLor).
2. 1he deaLh penalLy was sll on Lhe books ln lrance, Lhe law LhaL abollshed lL was
noL passed unl 1981, aL Lhe lnlave of Lhe MlnlsLer of !usce 8oberL 8adlnLer, who
had been Lhe defense aorney for Claude 8ueL and 8ernard 8onLemps, among oLh-
ers, execuLed by gulllone ln 1972. 1he enal Code foresaw Lhe posslblllLy of seeklng
Lhe deaLh penalLy for murder commled durlng a vlolenL robbery, buL Lhls was a purely
Lheorecal posslblllLy, slnce ln pracce punlshmenLs had Lo preserve a gradaon: ln
Lhls sense, no one was condemned Lo deaLh nor was Lhe deaLh penalLy acLually ln-
!lcLed excepL ln a few cases of murder. ln oLher words, Mesrlne's llfe would noL have
been aL sLake had he been broughL Lo Lrlal. We musL noneLheless polnL ouL LhaL he had
noL been accused of any murders slnce hls lasL escape and LhaL he had only been found
gullLy of a serles of robberles commled aer reLurnlng Lo lrance. 1he appllcaon
of a de facLo deaLh penalLy was, wlLhouL a doubL, a governmenL declslon. 1he lles of
8roussard noneLheless possess some meanlng: he had Lo remaln on Lhe Lerraln of Lhe
law, whlch leglmlzed hls acon, and ln order Lo be able Lo do so he had Lo malnLaln
LhaL, regardless of Lhe cosL, Mesrlne had been glven a warnlng Lo surrender. And we all
know LhaL Lhls ls noL Lrue.
3. A humorous reference Lo Lhe cry of supporL for Lhe lrancophone advocaLes of
lndependence oered by Lhe lrench presldenL ue Caulle ln 1967 from Lhe balcony of
Lhe MonLreal clLy hall (noLe of Lhe Spanlsh 1ranslaLor).
4. !ean-aul Mercler was gunned down by Lhe Canadlan pollce ln 1973. lL seems LhaL,
due Lo hls LasLe for defylng Lhe auLhorles and hls gls wlLh regard Lo acon, he was
Lhe person wlLh whom Mesrlne had Lhe greaLesL a nlLy.
3. 1hls lasL Lrlal was, for 8esse, arresLed ln 1994 aer "een years as a fuglve, Lhe
end of Lhe road. Aer he admled hls gullL, Lhe publlc prosecuLor congraLulaLed Lhe
defendanL on Lhe facL LhaL, Lhrough hls declaraons, he had demonsLraLed LhaL crlme
ls always repugnanL, and LhaL one can never admlre crlmlnals". 8esse, who was sen-
Lenced Lo elghL years ln [all (for crlmes commled a long me before), was released
from prlson ln 2006.
6. 1he clzen-soldler, who arose wlLh compulsory conscrlpon, ls Lhe exLreme ex-
ample of Lhe slave: Lhe slave armed ln Lhe servlce of hls masLer. 8uL by waglng war for
hls masLer, Lhe slave dlscovers LhaL he has power and somemes feels LempLed Lo use
lL agalnsL hls masLer.
7. Cbvlously, Lhe LempLaon Lo yleld Lo Lhe fasclnaon wlLh guns ls very greaL. 8uL
as Mesrlne hlmself wroLe: lL ls noL Lhe gun LhaL counLs, buL Lhe man who uses lL," a
senLence LhaL many people who llke Lo fanLaslze abouL Mesrlne's eplc llfe-or LhaL of
Lhe groups LhaL advocaLe armed sLruggle"-wlll "nd very hard Lo undersLand.
8. llghL, combaL (noLe of Lhe Spanlsh 1ranslaLor).
9. 1he gang des posches (wlg gang") was a famous gang of bank robbers who
were acve ln arls beLween 1981 and 1986. 1hey used Lo enLer bank o ces dressed
llke bourgeolsle, wlLh wlgs, fake mousLaches and fake beards-hence Lhe name. Aer
enLerlng Lhe bank Lhey dlvlded lnLo Lwo groups, whlle Lhe "rsL group guarded Lhe hos-
Lhe facL LhaL he was Lhe vlcm of a mlllLarlly organlzed ambush, even wlLh respecL
Lo Lhe cholce of arms and ammunlon. 1he way Lhe operaon was carrled ouL
says everyLhlng abouL Lhe fear LhaL Lhe CreaL !acques lnsplred ln Lhe cops: Lhere
were abouL "y of Lhem aL Lhe scene of Lhe kllllng, recrulLed from among Lhe mosL
experlenced members of Lhe CenLral C ce for Lhe 8epresslon of Crganlzed Crlme
(CC88) and Lhe Search and Speclal Cperaons 8rlgade (88l). ln an aempL Lo [us-
fy Lhe execuon of november 2, Lhe publlc prosecuLor of Lhe 8epubllc declared Lo
Lhe medla: 1he facL LhaL we were looklng for Mesrlne presupposed LhaL we were
ln a leglmaLe sLaLe of permanenL alerL". 8uL Lhe ambush was even more reveallng
wlLh regard Lo Lhe problem LhaL Mesrlne's escape had caused for Lhe sLaLe. lL has
become a pollcal lssue", 8oberL 8ouvler, Lhe Ceneral ulrecLor of ollce, declared
a few days earller Lo Lhe pollce commanders responslble for Lhe manhunL, admon-
lshlng Lhem for Lhelr lmpoLence agalnsL ubllc Lnemy no. 1".
1he pollce operaon of november 2, 1979 was a pollcal crlme. And Lhe shameful
exhlblon of Lhe corpse before Lhe vldeo cameras and Lhe phoLographers-[usL as
Lhe corpse of CarLouche1 was exhlblLed Lo Lhe masses long ago-had Lhe purpose
of resLorlng Lhe auLhorlLy of Lhe sLaLe ln Lhe eyes of Lhe publlc, an auLhorlLy LhaL
had been sub[ecLed Lo rldlcule for elghLeen monLhs.2
8ecause of hls resoluLe a Lude of de"ance of Lhe sLaLe, because of Lhe Lone of
lnsolenL freedom LhaL he adopLed, Mesrlne had lrremedlably slLuaLed hlmself be-
yond any noon of gullL, responslblllLy and punlshmenL. 1he sLaLe reserves speclal
meLhods for Lhls klnd of person. lL ls sald LhaL presldenL Clscard d'LsLalng, exasper-
aLed by Mesrlne's lmpunlLy, ordered Lhe execuon hlmself, he was perfecLly ca-
pable of dolng so. Pls MlnlsLer of Lhe lnLerlor aL Lhe me, Chrlsan 8onneL, made
lL clear ln hls speech Lo Lhose ln charge of Lhe servlces responslble for hunng
Mesrlne, Lhe Search and Speclal Cperaons 8rlgade and Lhe CenLral C ce for Lhe
8epresslon of Crganlzed Crlme: uo noL Lake any rlsks." 1hls ls [usL whaL a ma"a
klngpln would have ordered wlLh regard Lo an lmporLanL execuon: wlLh one ano-
dyne senLence, only a llle more lnslsLenL Lhan usual.. ln Lhe "gure of Lhe ouLlaw,
Lhe absLracL lndlvldual and Lhe clzen dlsappear: noLhlng ls le buL a man who ls
Lo be sLruck down.
1here ls no shorLage of well-lnLenoned people who dlsparage veneraon for Mes-
rlne and conslder hlm Lo be a deLesLable lndlvldual. Some lnvoke one or anoLher
aspecL of hls youLh ln order Lo lend supporL Lo Lhls posLmorLem condemnaon of
Lhe ubllc Lnemy". Such an exLernal and omnlsclenL polnL of vlew wlll always be
able Lo condemn mosL of Lhose people who, one day or anoLher, wlll rebel, on Lhe
basls of Lhelr pasL acons. 1hls ls whaL Pegel lronlcally called Lhe morallLy of Lhe
schoolmasLer". lor our parL, we only conslder Lhe LruLh of an lndlvldual Lo reslde
ln whaL he becomes.
ln May-!une 1968, Mesrlne was ln Canada, buL when he became acqualnLed wlLh
llfe ln Lhe prlsons of lrance, ln 1973, revolL had peneLraLed Lhe walls of Lhe prls-
ons. Many of Lhe prlsoners had some experlence on Lhe ouLslde wlLh Lhe fever of
1968, and for Lhem lL was unLhlnkable LhaL Lhey should bow down before elLher
[udges or prlson guards. 1he "rsL rloL broke ouL ln Lhe cenLral prlson of 1oul ln ue-
cember 1971. 1wo monLhs laLer, aer Lhe rloL aL Lhe prlson ln nancy, one prlsoner
responded Lo Lhe sLupld queson of a [ournallsL (Why are you rebelllng?"): 8e-
cause lL's fashlonable!" A good response, whlch sarcascally expresses Lhe splrlL
of Lhe mes.
Mesrlne's eplc culmlnaLed ln Lhe decade of Lhe sevenes, when he began Lo aL-
Lack Lhe prlson machlne from wlLhln as well as from wlLhouL. uurlng Lhe summer
of 1974, half of all Lhe prlsons ln lrance were convulsed by rloLs and Len of Lhem
were burned down. Pls oenslve, whlch had commenced wlLh Lhe acons of Lhou-
sands of prlsoners, was lndlvldually waged by Mesrlne durlng hls lncredlble perlod
as a fuglve, Lhereby wlnnlng Lhe sympaLhles of Lhe common folk beLween March
1978 and november 1979. 1he announcemenL of hls execuon was greeLed by
many people wlLh a greaL deal of sadness.
vlncenL Cassel, who played Lhe role of Mesrlne ln Lhe Lwo-parL "lm dlrecLed by
!ean-lerre 8lcheL, made lL a polnL Lo explaln durlng all hls Lelevlslon appearances
LhaL he had soughL a revlslon of Lhe lnlal screenplay: he dld noL wanL Lo Lrans-
form Mesrlne lnLo a hero, he explalned. Pls eorLs were ln valn: !acques Mesrlne
hlmself had become a hero a long me before LhaL. Pe became a hero whlle he
was sll allve, and Lhls could noL be changed by elLher Cassel or by all Lhe money
of Lhe movle producers. Cn Lhe day aer Mesrlne's execuon, cerLaln unknown
persons wroLe on Lhe walls of Lhe orLe de CllgnancourL: Pere, !acques Mesrlne
fell ln bale." Cne year laLer, day aer day, Lhe sLreeLs of Lhe nelghborhood would
be covered wlLh false sLreeL slgns: 8ue !acques Mesrlne, assasslnaLed by Lhe sLaLe
on 11/2/79." ?oung people who had noL even been born when Mesrlne was sll
allve are sll Lalklng respecully abouL hlm Loday, and all over lrance rock, punk,
ol!, rap and reggae bands are sll renderlng homage Lo hls memory.
Cne can aempL Lo besmlrch Lhe repuLaon of a man llke Mesrlne, buL Lhls wlll
never dlmlnlsh Lhe aecon and Lhe veneraon LhaL ordlnary people feel for hlm.
nor ls Lhere any lack of reasons for Lhls. ln Lhe "nal accounng, many people,
compelled Lo wasLe Lhelr llves ln order Lo earn a llvlng, are slncerely convlnced LhaL
robblng banks ls an honorable way Lo geL by. And Lhe resenLmenL of Lhe common
man ls dlrecLed more agalnsL Lhose who run Lhe banks Lhan Lhose who rob Lhem.
Some wlll rob wlLh a slx-gun, and some wlLh a founLaln pen", as Woody CuLhrle
Lo Lhe laer LhaL, ln vlew of Lhelr servlllLy, Lhey should [usL merge wlLh Lhe pollce
lnLo one sLrucLure.. Ceorglades and Chrlsoholdes, who were framed by Lhe cops
for havlng parclpaLed ln several bank robberles whose perpeLraLors were never
caughL, were made Lo pay for Lhe hosplLallLy LhaL Lhey gave Lo a fuglve, and were
senLenced on lebruary 17, 2010 Lo LwenLy-Lwo years ln prlson..
1o llve as a fuglve ls noL easy. 8uL Lhe acLs of colluslon and solldarlLy LhaL are
Lhe mllesLones of Lhe fuglve llfe of Lhe ouLlaw reveal LhaL Lhls persona expresses
someLhlng unlversal: LhaL he does noL clalm Lo Leach lessons ln morallLy Lo anyone
buL he knows how Lo conducL hls llfe ln accordance wlLh a cerLaln eLhlc. And above
all, hls eplc lnsplres [oy.
Alessl uell'umbrla lebruary-March 2010
Source of Spanlsh Lranslaon: Alessl uell'umbrla, 8.l.. !acques Mesrlne, LranslaLed by lederlco
CorrlenLe, Ld. eplLas de Calabaza, La 8lo[a, 2011. 1hls edlon also conLalns Lhe orlglnal lrench
LexL of Lhe book.
ceased Lo aracL Lhe sympaLhles of Lhe common people. Pe ls a unlversal "gure.
1hus, we wanL Lo saluLe vassllls alalokosLas, who ls now forLy-four years old, and
who has escaped Lwlce from Lhe prlson of korydallos, ln ALhens, Lhe lasL me by
an aerlal rouLe on lebruary 23, 2009. Pe !ed a senLence of LwenLy-"ve years for
robbery and kldnapplng. ln !une 2008, when he was ln hldlng aer hls "rsL escape
from korydallos, he kldnapped Lhe lndusLrlallsL Ceorges Mylonas, Lhe alumlnum
magnaLe. Aer belng held for Lwo weeks, Mylonas pald a ransom of Len mllllon
euros. 1hls Mylonas also was Lhe leader of Lhe Creek employers assoclaon ln Lhe
norLhern parL of Lhe counLry, and he was noLorlous for havlng lssued several decla-
raons LhaL essenally clalmed LhaL Lhe Creek workers should work harder lnsLead
of consLanLly complalnlng abouL Lhelr worklng condlons and Lhelr wages..
8orn ln Lhe provlnce of 1rlkala Lo a famlly of poor peasanLs, vassllls alalokosLas
and hls broLher nlkos began Lo rob banks and [ewelry sLores, and oen dellvered
some of Lhe money Lo Lhe famllles of hls homeLown and oLher vlllages ln Lhe re-
glon. 1hey pald for Lhe medlcal expenses of varlous exLremely poor famllles and
"nanced Lhe expenses of many young people who wanLed Lo go Lo Lhe clLy Lo
sLudy. 1hey are noL crlmlnals and we always welcome Lhem wlLh open arms," sev-
eral o clals of Lhe provlnclal governmenL of 1rlkala declared Lo [ournallsLs aer
hls escape. Pls escape, whlch Look place Lwo monLhs aer Lhe revolL of 2008, pro-
voked an lndescrlbable wave of enLhuslasm LhroughouL Lhe enre counLry. As of
Lhls daLe, whlle hls broLher nlkos, senLenced Lo "een years ln prlson, ls sll ln [all,
vassllls alalokosLas ls sll aL large. lor Lwelve years he has llved as a fuglve, as
opposed Lo Lhe elghL years LhaL he was ln prlson.
ln !anuary 2010, vassllls alalokosLas senL a leer Lo Lhe dally newspaper Llehe-
roLypla denounclng Lhe Lrlal of olykarpos Ceorglades and vangells Chrlsoholdes,
Lwo anarchlsLs accused of havlng glven hlm refuge. Ceorglades knew alalokosLas
ln [all. uurlng all Lhe years durlng whlch Lhe sLaLe has hunLed me-and ls sll do-
lng so-no one has even once snlLched on me, noL even when, durlng my "rsL perl-
od as a fuglve, ln AugusL 1991, Lhe Creek sLaLe promlsed a huge reward for lnfor-
maon leadlng Lo my arresL. 1o Lhe conLrary, l have known people wlLh a sense of
commlLmenL, honor and dlgnlLy, people who opened Lhelr doors Lo me, shelLered
me and helped me, oen wlLhouL any LhoughL of Lhe rlsks Lhey were Laklng. 1hose
who helped me durlng Lhe mosL dl culL momenLs (aer my escape), puL Lhelr
llves ln danger, Lhey are people who have proven LhaL ln Lhls counLry Lhere are noL
[usL reslgned and submlsslve people, buL also many people (much Lo my surprlse)
who honor Lhe Lradlons of solldarlLy wlLh Lhe persecuLed. 1hey are proud people
who conslder lnformlng, servlLude and Lhe pollce Lo be desplcable." Aer men-
onlng an aempL Lo assasslnaLe hlm carrled ouL by abouL "een robocops on
Aprll 4, 2009, and Lhe way Lhls lncldenL was presenLed ln Lhe medla, he proposed
sald ln 1he 8allad of rey 8oy lloyd", whlch he composed aer Lhe execuon
of LhaL oLher ubllc Lnemy no. 1" ln anoLher counLry. 1hls senmenL was felL by
many poor people durlng Lhe laLe 1930s, noL Lo speak of Lhe our me!
no lndlvldual chooses Lo become a hero, he becomes a hero desplLe hls lnLenons.
Cn Lhe cassee Lape he recorded shorLly before hls deaLh, Mesrlne declared:
Some people wanL Lo Lransform me lnLo a hero, buL Lhere are no heroes ln crlme.
1here are only men who have been marglnallzed and do noL accepL Lhe laws be-
cause Lhey are made for Lhe rlch and Lhe powerful." 1hls ls Lrue, buL Lhese margln-
als are Lhe heroes of Lhe common man and lL ls Lhe publlc recognlon of Lhls facL
LhaL seles Lhe queson once and for all. Mesrlne Lherefore [olns CarLouche and
ullllnger, Lamplo and Musollno. And as long as Lhe common people connue Lo
choose Lhelr heroes from among Lhe ouLlaws, we wlll know LhaL ln Lhls epoch Lhls
splrlL sll prevalls.
ln any evenL, Mesrlne knew whaL he was dolng. As Lhe eplc of hls feaLs unfolded
he never falled Lo galn ln lucldlLy. CerLaln Lypes who commled crlmes agalnsL
humanlLy have been pardoned, and Lhey even parclpaLe ln cerLaln governmenLs.
8uL Lhey do noL wanL Lo pardon a common crlmlnal? A crlme agalnsL humanlLy ls
pardonable, buL noL a crlme agalnsL an o ce of Lhe SocleLe Cenerale or Lhe 8n?
A person ls declared Lo be lncurable when he aacks Lhe sysLem, when he aacks
caplLal.." (lnLervlew ln Llberaon, !anuary 3-4, 1979).
Whereas old-sLyle" gangsLers accepLed Lhe prlnclple of punlshmenL and reslgned
Lhemselves Lo lL by servlng Lhelr senLences, accepng lmprlsonmenL as one of Lhe
hazards of Lhelr [ob LhaL would serve Lo enhance Lhelr repuLaons, Mesrlne nev-
er managed Lo lnLernallze Lhe prlson. lL ls Lrue LhaL, when he was lmprlsoned ln
Canada for Lhe kldnapplng of Lhe mllllonalre, Ceorges ueslaurlers, he underwenL
Lerrlble suerlng. 1he Speclal Correcons unlL of Lhe SalnL-vlncenL prlson, where
he was Lransferred ln Lhe summer of 1970, was dlrecLed by auLhenc psychopaLhs
and was even worse Lhan Lhe MAS unlLs of Lhe lrench [alls! noneLheless, he es-
caped wlLh Lhe few means aL hls dlsposal on AugusL 21, 1972. ln order Lo help
Lhose he le behlnd Lo escape from LhaL prlson, Lwelve days laLer he reLurned
wlLh hls fuglve comrade, !ean-aul Mercler, Lo aack Lhe penlLenary. 1hls me
Lhey were well-armed, buL had Lo reLreaL before Lhe pollce forces aer an lnLense
"re"ghL ln whlch Lhey exhausLed Lhelr supply of ammunlon.
Mesrlne's llfe, aer hls escape from Lhe Speclal Correcons unlL, became a serles
of challenges launched aL Lhe pollce, [udlclal and prlson auLhorles. lL could be
sald of hlm LhaL he was arroganL, boasul, and haughLy. erhaps Lhls ls Lrue, buL
he connued Lo defy Lhe auLhorles. Aer hls reLurn Lo lrance, where he carrled
ouL even more robberles, he was arresLed on March 8, 1973: he escaped Lhree
monLhs laLer, as he had announced, on !une 6, 1973. uurlng hls Lrlal ln May 1977,
he announced LhaL he would escape, whlch provoked laughLer and shrugglng of
shoulders. A year laLer, he escaped from Lhe prlson from whlch no one escapes".
Pe was accused of havlng creaLed a celebrlLy. 8uL Lhe celebrlLy ln queson pald for
hls fame wlLh hls llfe.
1he escape from Lhe SanLe, on May 8, 1978, would have been magnl"cenL had lL
noL been for Lhe deaLh of Carman 8lves, who followed !acques Mesrlne and lran-
ols 8esse aL Lhe lasL mlnuLe and was shoL down by Lhe pollce aL Lhe wall of Lhe
prlson. 1hls was above all a masslve blow agalnsL Lhe slnlsLer Alaln eyre"e, Lhe
MlnlsLer of !usce who would concocL Lhe lnfamous SecurlLy and lreedom" law,
Lhe "rsL such law ln lrance LhaL would banallze Lhe sLaLe of excepon. 1o see Lhls
blockhead recelve such a seLback was no small sasfacon for all of us, who had
applauded Lhe magnl"cenL aplomb of Lhe fuglves and appreclaLed Lhelr achleve-
menL: no one had ever before escaped from Lhe SanLe prlson.
An escape ls above all a greaL cause for celebraon among all Lhe oLher prlsoners,
Lhose who remalned behlnd and who on LhaL day wlLnessed a !ash of llghL LhaL
lllumlnaLed Lhe monoLony of prlson: Lhe prlson colony ls noL lnvlnclble (!ocelyn
ueralche, Lhen lncarceraLed ln lleury-Merogls, recounLed LhaL Lhe prlsoners or-
ganlzed an exLraordlnary dlsLurbance Lo celebraLe Lhe good news, Lhe same Lhlng
happened ln mosL of Lhe prlsons ln lrance).
lor Mesrlne, lL was noL enough Lo accompllsh greaL feaLs: he also had Lo do Lhlngs
wlLh real sLyle. 8ule no. 1: never show Lhem LhaL you are defeaLed. 1hus, when Lhe
Mesrlne-Schnelder duo LrlumphanLly arrlved aL Lhe alrporL ln MonLreal aer Lhelr
exLradlon from Lhe unlLed SLaLes, on !uly 23, 1969, Lhe Lwo of Lhem, ln handcus,
calmly embraced and smlled for Lhe publlc, when Lhe [ournallsLs asked hlm lf he
had anyLhlng Lo say, Mesrlne responded humorously: ?es. Long Llve lree Cue-
bec!"3 8ule no. 2: anclpaLe belng lmprlsoned. undoubLedly educaLed by hls Ca-
nadlan experlence, he planned hls escape whlle he was sll aL large. Pe Lherefore
managed Lo escape from Lhe Complegne courLhouse ln 1973, ln accordance wlLh a
plan LhaL he had made before he was arresLed: all he needed Lo do was Lo recover
a plsLol LhaL had been hldden ln Lhe men's room by hls accompllce Mlchel Ardouln,
who was walng for hlm ouLslde Lhe courLhouse ln a car, selze a [udge as a hosLage,
and shooL aL Lhe pollce, who were LempLed llke good soldlers Lo lnLervene. lL was
Lhls escape LhaL earned hlm Lhe Lle of ubllc Lnemy no. 1" ln lrance. 8ule no.
3: Lhe besL defense ls a good oense. Aer Lhey arresLed hlm, he wroLe 1he ueaLh
lnsncL, ln whlch he engaged ln a greaL deal of exaggeraon by Laklng credlL for a
number of unverl"able and lmplauslble murders: a Lrue llLerary provocaon, Lwo
Loo cauous Lo geL lnvolved ln lrench pollcal aalrs LhaL could only have caused
hlm problems. 1he "lm converLs 8esse lnLo a cynlc who reproached Mesrlne for
hls wlll Lo aack Lhe sysLem whlle 8esse hlmself wanLed lL noL Lo change so LhaL
he could Lake advanLage of lL". ln hls book, !e suls un bandlL d'honneur, wrlen ln
Lhe mld-elghes, 8esse LhoughL, very much Lo Lhe conLrary, and qulLe openly, LhaL
he belonged Lo a parcular Lradlon of soclal bandlLry, hls personallLy, whlch was
slmply much more reserved, caused hlm Lo keep hls dlsLance from Lhe open decla-
raons of war of hls fellow fuglve. 1he "lm Lransforms Mercler lnLo a Cuebecols
naonallsL, whlch he was noL (besldes, Lhey dld noL know each oLher unl Lhey
meL ln Lhe Speclal Correcons unlL aer Lhe kldnapplng of ueslaurlers, ln whlch
Mercler dld noL parclpaLe). !ean[acquoL was Lransformed lnLo a scaerbralned
!lrL: a Lelevlsed lnLervlew broadcasL on Aprll 13, 1988, however, shows us a person
of greaL dlgnlLy, and you only have Lo read her book L'lnsncL de vle Lo con"rm Lhls
lmpresslon. lL Lransforms Lhe lawyer Clle lnLo Lhe person who smuggled guns
lnLo Lhe SanLe ln hls brlefcase, when Lhe guns had acLually been hldden ln a false
celllng, and Lhe lawyer, who was aL "rsL suspecLed of havlng been gullLy of Lhls,
was laLer cleared of all charges. 1he mosL serlous error, however, ls Lhe facL LhaL
Lhls presenLaon of Lhe facLs dld noL sLop Lhere: Lhe "lm made lLs debuL preclsely
when Lhe lndlvlduals lmpllcaLed ln Lhe escape of Lhe bank robber AnLonlo lerrara,
and especlally hls lawyer, karlm Achoul, who was accused of havlng smuggled ex-
ploslves Lo hls cllenL when he was lmprlsoned ln a narrow and dark punlshmenL
cell ln lresnes, were on Lrlal ln arls.
lL was Lo be expecLed LhaL Lhe specLacle would recuperaLe Lhe personallLy of
!acques Mesrlne. lurLhermore, we have seen how much of hls eplc was due Lo lLs
echo ln Lhe medla. We have also seen how Mesrlne hlmself gladly performed ln
accordance wlLh Lhe role LhaL Lhe specLacular mlrror oered hlm. 1o "ghL agalnsL
one's own fame ls noL easy. 1he Amerlcan acLor Sean enn puL lL qulLe well one
day: 1o be famous ls lnhuman." Lven when vlewed Lhrough Lhe dlsLorng prlsm
of Lhe medla, however, Lhe persona consLanLly escapes Lhe role, and lL ls Lhls as-
pecL LhaL Lhe clnema seeks Lo de"nlvely exorclze. 1hus, ln Lhe llner noLes Lo a Cu
enLled Mesrlne", whlch was produced by Langmann and hls Leam shorLly aer
Lhe debuL of Lhe "lm and whlch conLalns abouL LwenLy fragmenLs of rap, Lhere ls
no phoLograph of Mesrlne, buL lnsLead a phoLograph of Cassel playlng Lhe role of
Mesrlne. AL Lhe very momenL when lL seems LhaL Lhe spllL beLween Lhe hlsLorlcal
lndlvldual and Lhe movle role ls consummaLed, Lhe leglmaLe pralse for !acques
Mesrlne musL necessarlly "L lnLo Lhls framework, slnce ln our me Lhe queson of
celebrlLy-whlch for Mesrlne was posed from an essenally Laccal perspecve-
ls posed as a sLraLeglc queson.
1he persona of Lhe ouLlaw, ln hls publlc de"ance of Lhe auLhorles, has never
names of Lhose responslble, who musL have experlenced cold sweaLs unl he was
senL back Lo lrance . and Lhen gone Lhrough Lhem all over agaln ln response Lo
a press conference held by Lhe MlnlsLer of !usce. A governmenL lnvesgaLory
commlsslon ulmaLely presenLed shocklng concluslons LhaL led Lo Lhe closlng of
Lhe SCu. ln !anuary 1978 ln lrance, he slgned, LogeLher wlLh varlous oLher prlson-
ers who had been lsolaLed ln Lhe MAS of SanLe, a LexL LhaL denounced Lhls speclal
reglme, whlch also led Lo sulclde or madness.11
1he MAS were creaLed aer Lhe greaL revolL of 1974. 1he MlnlsLer of !usce [e -
soned some dead welghL by maklng Lhe everyday llves of Lhe prlsoners a llle less
bruLal: Lhey were conceded Lhe rlghL Lo recelve newspapers and Lo have access Lo
a radlo, Lo wear Lhelr own cloLhlng and Lo keep Lhelr halr long, some auLomac
punlshmenLs were reduced, eLc. As a counLerpolnL he creaLed Lhe MAS for Lhe pur-
pose of sysLemacally lsolang Lhe prlsoners who were consldered Lo be poLenal
rlngleaders of rloLs and Lhose who (Lhey were oen Lhe same people) were llkely
Lo Lry Lo escape. 1he MAS were o clally abollshed by 8oberL 8adlnLer, Lhe MlnlsLer
of !usce of Lhe "rsL Mlerrand governmenL beLween 1981 and 1984. ln reallLy,
Lhey were slmply replaced by Lhe lsolaon cells LhaL funconed accordlng Lo Lhe
same loglc: sensory deprlvaon (some of Lhe prlsoners lmprlsoned ln Lhe lsolaon
modules developed vlsual and language dlsorders), lsolaon, lack of exerclse, eLc.
When such an lndlvldual dles, hls memory ls concealed behlnd a herolc celebrlLy,
on Lhe one hand, and a movle role on Lhe oLher.
!ean-lranols 8lcheL's "lm (Lwo "lms, 1he ueaLh lnsncL and ubllc Lnemy no. 1,
whlch acLually comprlse [usL one "lm, because Lhey are abouL Lhe llfe and deaLh
of !acques Mesrlne, relaLed chronologlcally) was produced by 1homas Langmann,
Lhe leadlng movle producer ln lrance. lL was noL Lo be expecLed LhaL a caplLallsL
would concern hlmself wlLh Lhe hlsLorlcal LruLh, buL Lhe worsL Lhlng abouL Lhe "lm
ls LhaL Lhe professlon expllclLly clalms LhaL such dlsregard for hlsLorlcal LruLh ls an
lnherenL aspecL of Lhe bloplc genre. We could, aer all, conLenL ourselves wlLh
vlewlng Lhls "lm as a good Lhrlller, buL Lhere ls Lhe clrcumsLance LhaL lL recon-
sLrucLs Lhe llfe of a real lndlvldual, and desplLe Lhe caveaL dlsplayed on Lhe screen
before Lhe credlLs, noLhlng [us"es cerLaln falsl"caons. 1he only polnL ln regard
Lo whlch Lhe movle proves respecul of Lhe facLs ls Lhe scene deplcng hls execu-
on. ?ou can beL, Laklng Lhe resL of Lhe "lm lnLo accounL, LhaL Lhls was noL Lhe
resulL of any respecL for Lhe LruLh, buL because Lhe scene was lLself specLacular.
We shall merely conLenL ourselves wlLh enumerang some of Lhe facLual errors of
Lhe "lm. lL converLs Culdo, Lhe Slclllan gangsLer who Look Lhe young Mesrlne under
hls wlng, lnLo a mlllLanL of Lhe CAS:12 Lhe Culdo ln queson appears Lo have been
monLhs aer he was senLenced. 1haL a bank robber should dare Lo recounL Lhe
sLory of hls llfe wlLhouL demonsLrang even Lhe leasL slgn of remorse scandallzed
Lhe lrance of Clscard d'LsLalng. A !lghL forward," some wlll say: we say lnsLead
LhaL Mesrlne always burned hls brldges and always lssued one challenge aer an-
oLher. Pe smlled LhroughouL hls enre Lrlal ln 1977, aL Lhe concluslon of whlch he
was senLenced Lo LwenLy years ln prlson.
1hls a Lude also had Lhe advanLage of assurlng hls credlblllLy. Anyone who an-
nounces LhaL l wlll be ouL ln Lhree monLhs" and escapes Lhree monLhs laLer wlll
lmmedlaLely Lhereaer have Lhe necessary credlL LhaL wlll lnduce some average
!oe Lo dare Lo hlde weapons ln Lhe MAS of SanLe. Mesrlne's personal charlsma
and hls capaclLy for seducon were also due Lo Lhe facL LhaL he proved hls worLh
Lhrough acon.
When hls face appeared on MosL WanLed" posLers, Lhe fuglve became famous.
1he more lnvlslble he remalned, Lhe more famous he became. 1o do Lhls, however,
he had Lo conceal hls face. Mesrlne was an experL when lL came Lo dlsgulses and
Lravelled everywhere wlLhouL belng lden"ed. 1he man known as Lhe man wlLh
a Lhousand faces" had LhaL LalenL of Lhe acLor LhaL conslsLs ln ge ng under Lhe
skln of anoLher person, buL for a dlameLrlcally opposlLe purpose, slnce for hlm lL
was a maer of dlsappearlng lnLo Lhe anonymlLy of Lhe masses. ln Lhls clandesne
llfesLyle, Lhe ouLlaw belongs compleLely Lo hlmself, unllke Lhe acLor who, under Lhe
spoLllghLs, ls conLenL wlLh represenLaon.
lf Lhe celebrlLy of Lhe acLor leads hlm Lo awards and wealLh, LhaL of Lhe ouLlaw
leads hlm sooner or laLer Lo deaLh, slnce he lnslnuaLes lnLo Lhe mechanlsm of ce-
lebrlLy someLhlng LhaL ls ln"nlLely dangerous: Lhe publlc recognlon of a rebelllon
wlLhouL concesslons LhaL ls proclalmed as such. 1hls recognlon, whlch ls Lhe real
vlcLory of Lhe ouLlaw, ls also equlvalenL Lo hls deaLh senLence. uurlng hls lasL pe-
rlod as a fuglve, wherever you wenL you only had Lo llsLen ln order Lo hear slmple
clzens pralse !acques Mesrlne, up Lo Lhe polnL LhaL ln uecember 1978 Lhe weekly
arls-MaLch porLrayed hlm as one of Lhe mosL popular people of Lhe year.. 1he
sLaLe ordered Lhe execuon of !acques Mesrlne ln order Lo puL and end Lo Lhls
recognlon LhaL noLhlng could now sLop. 1he mechanlsms of celebrlLy are noL sub-
verLed wlLh lmpunlLy.
Cn Lhe oLher hand, Lhose who were Lhe hunLers had Lo sLage an elaboraLe scene
ln order Lo cover Lhelr Lracks. Several hours before Lhe execuon, Lhe cops llLerally
consLrucLed Lhe sLage seL of Lhe crlme aL Lhe orLe de CllgnancourL, and each one
of Lhem Look up hls poslon llke an exLra ln a movle. 1he deaLh senLence, however,
whlch was compleLely real, was also Lhe ob[ecL of a reLrospecve re-arrangemenL
of Lhe scenery (Lhe famous bag LhaL conLalned Lwo hand grenades was placed on
Lhe !oor of Lhe car aer Lhe kllllng) almed aL Lhe medla, who would reLransmlL lL.
Cllles MllleL, who lnLervlewed Mesrlne aer hls lasL escape, sald of hlm: Mesrlne
was good, boLh ln Lhe lnLervlews as well as ln Lhe phoLo sesslons." 1he phoLogra-
pher Alaln 8lros, who accompanled MllleL on Lhese occaslons, sald wlLh respecL Lo
Mesrlne: l found myself faclng a cllche, buL he was noL llke LhaL aL all, Mesrlne had
someLhlng abouL hlm LhaL made hlm seem llke an ordlnary guy." Cbvlously, any-
one whose face appeared on posLers aL every pollce sLaon ln Lhe counLry would
be lnLeresLed ln glvlng Lhe appearance of MlsLer average guy, buL noL everyone ls
capable of pulllng lL o. ln 1979, Mesrlne was sll golng ouL and mlxlng wlLh Lhe
people, dlnlng ln resLauranLs and golng danclng wlLh hls glrlfrlend, even when Lhe
pollce manhunL was aL lLs peak. Pe even amused hlmself by asklng pollcemen on
Lhe sLreeL for dlrecons, whlch was a good way Lo LesL hls dlsgulse: Lhe mosL darlng
of Lhese LesLs was Lhe vlslL he made LogeLher wlLh lranols 8esse Lo Lhe ueauvllle
pollce sLaon, where Lhey passed Lhemselves o as lnspecLors, Lhey were slzlng up
Lhe pollce force [usL before Lhelr robbery of Lhe caslno, on May 26, 1978. Cenerally,
Lhose who knew hlm descrlbed hlm as a very soclable man, who en[oyed engag-
lng ln conversaon wlLh people on Lhe sLreeL and ln Lhe cafes, and who llked Lo do
favors for hls nelghbors, durlng hls sLay ln London, when he was belng soughL as
ubllc Lnemy no. 1", he lnvlLed hls nelghbors Lo dlnner aL hls house!
All we know abouL Mesrlne ls derlved from hls publlc persona. ln Lhls connecon
lL ls noL wlLhouL lnLeresL Lo recall LhaL, accordlng Lo Lhe Lesmony of cerLaln Lan
auLhors, Lhe Lerm persona orlglnally deslgnaLed, ln Lhe LheaLer of anclenL 8ome,
a mask LhaL covered Lhe enre head of Lhe acLor. 1he noon of celebrlLy Lhus
emerged from a play ln whlch Lhe mosL vlslble parL of one's lndlvlduallLy, Lhe face
LhaL seLs us aparL from oLhers, ls concealed.
ln Lhe varlous forms of Lhe LheaLer of masks, Lhe persona does noL correspond
Lo Lhe ldenLy of an lndlvldual person, buL Lo a parcular Lype of behavlor, boLh
wlLh regard Lo gesLures as well as Lo verbal expresslon. WlLh Lhe advenL of classlcal
LheaLer and Lhen of Lhe clnema, whlch, Lo Lhe conLrary, valued lndlvldual unlque-
ness, Lhe persona gave way Lo Lhe role. 1he aspecL of lmprovlsaon dlsappeared
from Lhe sLage play, whlch now enclosed Lhe acLor ln Lhe represenLaon of an ln-
dlvldual Lo whom he loaned hls own face. lor Lhe role obeys a wrlen de"nlon ln
whlch Lhe gesLures and words are "xed and Lhey dlssolve Lhe zone of uncerLalnLy
opened up by Lhe mask, by Lhe persona (Lhe orlglnal meanlng of Lhe word, role,
derlves from Lhe word for a documenL wrlen on a rolled plece of parchmenL,
from Lhe Lan roLula). 1he ldea of Lhe role lnvolves Lhe ablllLy Lo engage ln ln-
LerpreLaon, ln whlch lndlvldual psychology assumes Lhe leadlng place, whereas
lL never ceases Lo be amazlng LhaL he commled hlmself Lo an acon as rlsky as
Laklng a [udge hosLage wlLh a gang of lncompeLenLs" llke !ean Luc Coupe and
Chrlsan kopf: buL lL ls also Lrue LhaL no one else wanLed Lo Lake Lhls rlsk, noL even
lranols 8esse (Pe wanLed Lo Lake revenge, and l dld noL," as 8esse would say
laLer). And Lhe CreaL !acques was consumed by Lhe need Lo denounce LhaL mon-
sLrous machlne for grlndlng prlsoners known as Lhe MAS, by acng ln Lhls manner,
he demonsLraLed hls loyalLy Lo Lhose who were sll lnslde: 1aleb Pad[ad[, 8oger
knobelspless, Alaln 8end[elloul, hllllppe 8oubaL, uanlel uebrlelle..
lf he somemes made mlsLakes ln chooslng hls accompllces, he usually chose Lhem
well: !ean-aul Mercler, wlLh whom he escaped from Lhe Speclal Correcons unlL
and reLurned Lo assaulL Lhe prlson, Mlchel Schayewskl, wlLh whom he carrled ouL
some successful robberles of supermarkeLs and laLer Lhe kldnapplng of Lellevre.
noL Lo menon lranols 8esse, Lhe masLer escape arsL wlLh whom he successful-
ly escaped from a pollce dragneL ln Lhe counLryslde of normandy aer Lhe robbery
of Lhe ueauvllle caslno, or Charlle 8auer, a comrade of hls from Lhe MAS who was
laLer accused of havlng accompanled hlm when he wenL Lo admlnlsLer punlshmenL
Lo Lhe pollce-[ournallsL of MlnuLe, !acques 1llller. Mesrlne almosL always acLed as
a member of a Lwo-man Leam.
1he duo represenLed a baslc form of compllclLy, LhaL of equals. Mesrlne was a
soldler once ln hls llfe, he had no lncllnaon Lo be one agaln and alLhough durlng
Lhe course of an lnLervlew conducLed ln 1978 he referred Lo Lhe 8Al and Lhe 8ed
8rlgades, lL ls doubul LhaL an lndlvldual llke hlm could have accommodaLed hlm-
self Lo Lhe mlllLarlsL mode of operaons of Lhose organlzaons. And we musL add
LhaL Mesrlne, far from harborlng any vanguardlsL preLenslons, only ever spoke ln
hls own name, Lhls also explalns Lhe sympaLhy LhaL he sll en[oys more Lhan LhlrLy
years aer hls deaLh, when Lhe LenlnlsL phraseology of boLh groups has been con-
slgned Lo Lhe garbage can of hlsLory.
We musL recall, "nally, LhaL Mesrlne was Lhe only one of all Lhose who suered Lhe
reglme of Lhe MAS who, once on Lhe ouLslde, engaged ln an acvlLy dlrecLed aL
denounclng Lhe exlsLence of Lhls prlson wlLhln Lhe prlson (Lhe selzure of hosLages
aL Lhe home of [udge eL, alLhough unsuccessful, noneLheless called aenon
Lo Lhls lssue). 1he sLruggle agalnsL Lhe MAS was an exLenslon of Lhe sLruggle he
had already waged ln Canada: Lhere, Mesrlne managed Lo geL Lhe Speclal Correc-
ons unlL of SalnL-vlncenL closed down ln 1972. Pe conLrlved Lo record an audlo
Lape, whlch he senL Lo several radlo sLaons, ln whlch he denounced LhaL organ-
lzed mechanlsm for maklng prlsoners commlL sulclde or succumb Lo lnsanlLy, Lhose
cells, some of whlch were verlLable gas chambers" . and ln whlch Lhe mosL sa-
dlsc bruLallLy was exerclsed agalnsL Lhe prlsoners, ln addlon, he also clLed Lhe
lnsLalled ln banks. 1here was so much cash avallable! Mlchel Ardouln, wlLh whom
Mesrlne collaboraLed ln 1973, sald: Mesrlne was a very good bank robber, wlLh
an Amerlcan-sLyle vlew" (Maybe Lhls ls a legacy of hls experlence on Lhe oLher
slde of Lhe ALlanc?). 1he bank robberles he commled were rapld operaons,
underLaken by small Leams (generally Lwo ln Lhe bank and one ln Lhe geLaway car),
oen repeaLed on Lhe same day. Pe never carrled ouL operaons of Lhe Lype for
whlch Lhe wlg gang"9 became famous, or aacks on 8rlnks armored Lrucks mak-
lng dellverles of cash, oen organlzed by gangsLers Lo whom Lhey sold lnformaon,
and who would Lhen recrulL, equlp and pay Lhose responslble for carrylng ouL Lhe
assaulL, aerwards Lhey would launder Lhe sLolen banknoLes. lL was anoLher me,
wlLh anoLher way of dolng Lhlngs: acL qulckly and e clenLly, repeaLedly, and wlLh
absoluLe lndependence. All LhaL was needed was Lo case Lhe bank o ces and go
lnLo acon. Aer hls escape ln 1978, Mesrlne changed hls modus operandl: he
assaulLed a caslno (Lhe one ln ueauvllle), he robbed a bank ln 8alncy by Lracklng
down Lhe dlrecLor of Lhe branch o ce dlrecLly Lo hls home, he robbed a few su-
permarkeLs and, "nally, he carrled ouL hls greaLesL coup ln Lerms of proceeds, Lhe
kldnapplng of Penrl Lellevre, a buslnessman who had goen rlch from real esLaLe
speculaon and managemenL.
Mesrlne somemes acLed hasly, as was demonsLraLed when he Look hosLages ln
Lhe house of Lhe [udge eL. 8uL he Lrlumphed where oLhers were defeaLed: for
example, ln Lhe dellvery of Lhe ransom money for Lhe mllllonalre Lellevre, where-
as Lhe year before Lhe kldnappers of 8aron Lmpaln were caughL aL Lhls cruclal
[uncLure. 1he asLuLe Mesrlne foresaw Lhe Lrap aer a "rsL aempL Lo dellver Lhe
money and rlddled an unmarked pollce car wlLh bulleLs. 1he second aempL pro-
ceeded accordlng Lo plan.
ulgnlLy ls easlly Lransformed lnLo arrogance when one lacks Lhe capaclLy Lo vlew
oneself ob[ecvely, and Mesrlne pald dearly for Lhls shorLcomlng ln 1973. Lspe-
clally when Lhey arresLed hlm Lhe second me, because he had LrusLed an ln-
experlenced member of hls gang and refused Lo admlL LhaL he was wrong: Lhe
lnexperlenced member ln queson, recrulLed as a geLaway drlver for a robbery,
was arresLed and lnformed on Mesrlne and hls accompllces. Pls LasLe for acon
somemes prevalled over hls calculaons: Lhe acon agalnsL Lhe [udge eL was
carrled ouL wlLh Lhe parclpaon of some lnexperlenced youLhs, a nelghbor whom
he had gradually begun Lo LrusL and a frlend of hls.10 1he operaon was boLched,
Lhe cops appeared, a "re"ghL Look place and only Mesrlne was able Lo escape. Cne
of Lhe youLhs panlcked, Lhey arresLed hlm and, aer lnLerrogaon, Lhe cops were
senL Lo Lhe hldeouL of Mesrlne, who, already burned by hls mlsadvenLure ln Lhe
fall of 1973, had Lhe good sense Lo expecL Lhelr arrlval and evacuaLed Lhe house.
whaL Lhe persona lnvolved was above all Lhe ablllLy Lo play. And even lf one speaks
of Lhe play of Lhe acLor", Lhls ls noLhlng compared Lo Lhe play, whlch was Lruly
creave and praccally unllmlLed, of Lhe persona ln Lhe LheaLer of masks.
1he modern acLor, whose omnlpresenL face embodles Lhe exaggeraLed and nar-
clsslsc lndlvldual of our epoch, only exlsLs, paradoxlcally, Lhrough hls roles. Pe
ls famous because he loans hls face Lo oLhers: Lo !acques Mesrlne, for example..
1he fuglve, however, sll preserves someLhlng of Lhe acLor of Lhe noh 1heaLer or
of Lhe Commedla dell'arLe, whlch ls manlfesLed by conceallng hls face, LhaL ls, by
obllLerang Lhe parL of hls lndlvlduallLy LhaL exLernally de"nes hls ldenLy. ln oLher
words, whaL Lhe acLor experlences as dlscomforL and Lransforms hls professlon
lnLo Lhe prey of psychoanalysLs, a person llke Lhe ouLlaw experlences, on Lhe con-
Lrary, as a game. Whlle Lhe acLor never ceases Lo be hounded by Lhe uncerLalnLy
of hls ego, Lhe ouLlaw rea rms hlmself by playlng wlLh ldenes. Mesrlne, noL
sas"ed wlLh Lhe ln"nlLe Lransformaon of hls face, resorLed Lo dozens of lden-
es. Among Lhe many fake ldenLy cards LhaL he used, he also used, durlng hls lasL
perlod as a fuglve, a fake pollce lu. And he gave hlmself Lhe rank of pollce chlef.
1he fuglve, unllke Lhe acLors ln Lhe Commedla, does noL only work ln one mask
LhroughouL hls enre llfe, buL raLher llke Lhe acLors of Lhe Creek LheaLer of Lhe
classlcal age, who could change masks several mes durlng Lhe course of one play.
unllke Lhe laer, however, who changed personas when Lhey changed Lhelr masks,
when Lhe fuglve modl"es hls appearance Lhls does noL prevenL hlm from fully
lnhablng hls persona: Lhls ls an lnLegral parL of Lhe play. 1he analogy wlLh Lhe
LheaLer of masks ls due Lo Lhe facL LhaL lL ls noL an lndlvldual LhaL ls recognlzed ln
publlc, buL a celebrlLy: anyone can run lnLo such an lndlvldual ln Lhe sLreeL wlLhouL
ldenfylng hlm. And Lhe reverse ls Lrue: Lhe person who was closesL Lo Mesrlne
durlng hls lasL perlod as a fuglve, Sylvla !ean[acquoL, who Lherefore knew hlm
besL as a unlque lndlvldual, had never heard of hlm before she meL hlm! (Pe
made me read 1he ueaLh lnsncL. l dldn'L llke lL. l dldn'L llke Lhe characLer," she
declared.)
Mesrlne consLrucLed hls own personallLy, and Lhey never forgave hlm for LhaL. We
need only recall Lhe scandal LhaL was Lrlggered by Lhe publlcaon of 1he ueaLh
lnsncL ln 1977. 1o a greaL exLenL, Mesrlne knew how Lo be unpredlcLable. 8uL Lhe
persona escaped from hlm and he was lmprlsoned ln a role, a horrlble role: WlLh
Lhe press he allowed hlmself Lo be arlbuLed wlLh all klnds of exaggeraons and
lles LhaL helped Lo confer upon hlm Lhe lmage of a bloodLhlrsLy beasL, an lmage
LhaL he could noL free hlmself of laLer," as Sylvla !ean[acquoL would subsequenLly
wrlLe. Mesrlne knew how Lo Lake hls world by surprlse, buL he also surrendered
aL mes Lo Lhe easy way of pu ng on Lhe role LhaL LhaL world expecLed from hlm.
1he source of Lhe energy LhaL anlmaLes Lhe play of such a person ls de"ance. AL Lhe
same me LhaL lL drlves hlm lnLo a !lghL forward, Lhls energy wlLhouL concesslons
prevenLs hlm from keeplng Lhe proper dlsLance and helps Lo lsolaLe hlm. lor when
Lhls power ls LhaL of a slngle lndlvldual lL ls Lerrlble. ln hlm, Lhe wlll prevalled over
calculaon: lL ls obvlous LhaL Mesrlne was noL a reasonable person. Ardouln sald of
hlm LhaL he was lncapable of self-crlclsm. Whlle lL ls Lrue LhaL he never doubLed
hlmself, and hls successlve escapes dld noL fall Lo relnforce hls con"dence, Lhls dld
noL prevenL hlm from learnlng lessons from hls fallures.
1he Mesrlne of Lhe slxes evolved ln Lhe crlmlnal underworld, lL was ln Lhls mllleu
where he came of age, under Lhe guldance of Lhe enlgmac Culdo. ln Lhls mllleu
hls ego was exacerbaLed permanenLly and he had Lo be able Lo lmpose hls wlll aL
any momenL, by way of lnmldaon or vlolence. 1he role ls de"ned, and a mlsln-
LerpreLaon can cosL you your llfe. All of Lhls Lakes place, however, among gang-
sLers, and lL ls Lhere LhaL lL has Lo sLay. 1he Mesrlne of Lhe sevenes, who lald clalm
Lo hls robberles and denounced Lhe prlson machlne, consummaLed Lhe break wlLh
Lhe underworld of crlme. Pe became a celebrlLy, and Lhls profoundly lrrlLaLed Lhe
gangsLers.
lL would be hard Lo deny LhaL Mesrlne developed hls own sLyle, lncludlng hls own
way of presenng hlmself. ln oLher words, he had an arL, as Lhey used Lo say ln
lLaly, where Lhls word slmulLaneously evoked Lechnlcal ablllLy and Lhe way one dld
Lhlngs. 8y saylng Lhls, we do noL lnLend Lo lnslnuaLe a commonplace llke he made
hls own movle", eLc. WhaL he performed was hls llfe, as an always-renewed lnLer-
preLaon, for example, aer havlng robbed a bank, he would cross Lhe sLreeL and
rob anoLher one, as he once dld wlLh Mercler4 and dld agaln ln arls. And Lhe play
of Lhe celebrlLy formed parL of Lhls lnLerpreLaon. 1hose who Loday sll puL hlm
down only wanLed a repenLanL defendanL ln Lhe courLroom and a prlsoner who
would sllenLly explaLe hls debL Lo socleLy.
Mesrlne was oen blamed for hls overslzed ego buL ln reallLy whaL he was blamed
for was havlng a rmed hls lndlvlduallLy. lndeed, Lhe lmpacL LhaL Mesrlne's feaLs
have had says everyLhlng abouL Lhe crlsls of lndlvlduallLy ln a socleLy LhaL has ban-
lshed every form of agon, of whlch noLhlng remalns buL Lhe mosL rldlculous and
banal forms. Such an eplc places Lhe ego ln a dlzzylng poslon, someLhlng LhaL
almosL no one wlll rlsk, buL aL Lhe same me lL also awakens Lhe nosLalgla for a
consummaLed lndlvlduallLy. Who would wage Lhls war for recognlon" Loday?
Slnce Mesrlne's deaLh Lhere has been no shorLage ln lrance of greaL bank rob-
bers who managed Lo pull o wonderful escapes. Ahmed CLhmane, for example,
he Look pleasure ln Lhe baroud.8
1he war also le lLs mark on hlm ln anoLher way. We musL noL forgeL LhaL ln LhaL
war Lhe o cers LaughL Lhe young conscrlpLs, recenLly emerglng from adolescence,
Lo LorLure, and awakened ln Lhem Lhe unwholesome pleasure of dehumanlzlng
Lhe enemy. Mesrlne was also Lhe producL of Lhls parcularly repugnanL colonlal
war, and ln hls book he descrlbes Lhe crueles he ln!lcLed many years laLer on one
or anoLher plmp or some gangsLers who Lrled Lo rob hlm, and concluded wlLh Lhe
LorLures LhaL he ln!lcLed on 1llller. Cn Lhese occaslons Mesrlne dlsplayed a LwlsLed
cruelLy and Lhe facL LhaL he exerclsed lL agalnsL desplcable lndlvlduals does noL
change anyLhlng ln Lhls respecL.
lf Mesrlne seems Lo have been a good soldler, slnce he was decoraLed for bravery
aL Lhe end of hls mlllLary servlce, hls reLurn Lo clvlllan llfe dld noL Lransform hlm
lnLo a good clzen, buL lnLo a marglnal, and Lhe former soldler was Lransformed
lnLo a real "ghLer. lL ls noLeworLhy LhaL Mesrlne parclpaLed ln Lhe lasL war ln
whlch Lhe lrench sLaLe resorLed Lo conscrlpL soldlers, from Lhen on Lhe varlous
governmenLs of lrance only enLrusLed Lhelr dlrLy work Lo volunLeers, and even
abollshed compulsory mlllLary servlce. ln lrance, as ln all of wesLern Lurope, war
dlsappeared from everyday experlence and only appeared ln Lhe form of an lmage,
ln Lelevlsed news reporLs and vldeo games. 1he "gure of Lhe clzen-soldler was
erased, LhaL form of domescaon has become super!uous, and Lhe example of
Mesrlne shows above all LhaL lL dld noL always work, slnce Lhe good soldler of yes-
Lerday, once he le Lhe mlllLary framework, he could become a dangerous rebel.
lL ls also necessary Lo see ln Lhe vlolence wlLh whlch Mesrlne Lrans"xed hls me
an energec andoLe for Lhe boredom and Lhe banallLy of Lhe pey bourgeols
envlronmenL from whlch he came, and ln whlch he could noL "nd a place aer he
reLurned from Lhe war.
Mesrlne's LasLe for burnlng money ls slmllar Lo hls LasLe for acon. 1hls was un-
doubLedly Lhe only real drug Lo whlch Mesrlne ylelded, all Lhe more easlly slnce
he dld noL know physlcal fear. 1he CreaL !acques en[oyed golng on hls bank rob-
bery mlsslons, and accordlng Lo Lhe Lesmonles of Lhose wlLh whom he formed
hls gangs, he never losL hls cold blooded deLermlnaon, Lhe way he escaped so
many "re"ghLs con"rms Lhls. Pe bore wlLhln hlmself someLhlng LhaL undoubLedly
Lranscended fear: Lhe "erce bale for recognlon.
Mesrlne's career as a bank robber musL be slLuaLed ln Lhe conLexL of hls mes: Lhe
sevenes wlLnessed Lhe mulpllcaon LhroughouL lrance of bank branch o ces
aL a me when survelllance Lechnologles were noL yeL wldely avallable. uurlng Lhe
followlng decade cameras, armored securlLy cameras and meLal deLecLors were
had amassed enough looL, open up a fronL buslness and open a resLauranL or a
nlghLclub. Mesrlne never sLooped Lo become a plmp, whlch led hlm aL varlous
mes, as ln 1973, Lo carry ouL more aacks and Lhus Lo Lake more rlsks.
Mesrlne never ceased Lo dlsLance hlmself from Lhe world of Lhe gangsLers. lor
Lhelr parL, Lhey dld noL aL all llke elLher hls celebrlLy persona or hls scandalous dec-
laraons. 8uslness requlres dlscreon, and ubllc Lnemy no. 1" dld noL have Lhe
mlndseL of a buslnessman, whlch ls whaL all gangsLers end up becomlng lf Lhey do
noL fall by Lhe wayslde. ln one of hls lasL lnLervlews, ln laLe 1978, he declared loud
and clear LhaL Lhe crlmlnal underworld can go Lo hell and LhaL all lLs fake codes of
honor are a plle of shlL.
Mesrlne malnLalned close relaons of compllclLy wlLh varlous women: wlLh !eanne
Schnelder, wlLh whom he wenL Lo Canada and kldnapped ueslaurlers, wlLh !ocelyn
ueralche, whom he knew ln Canada and who reLurned Lo lrance wlLh hlm, and "-
nally wlLh Sylvla !ean[acquoL, whom he meL durlng hls lasL perlod as a fuglve. Pls
Canadlan gang, of whlch !eanne Schnelder was a member, showed LhaL Mesrlne
was noL shackled by Lhe codes of Lhe crlmlnal underworld, where women were
only admled as prosLuLes, and never of course as comrades of Lhe gang. WlLh
hls successlve glrlfrlends, who accompanled hlm durlng hls perlods as a fuglve,
he never had any chlldren. Cn Lhe oLher hand, he had dl culL relaons wlLh Lhe
moLher of hls chlldren, hls second wlfe, Marla de la Soledad, who agreed Lo pas-
slvely walL for hlm aL home. Pe dld noL Lry Lo conceal Lhls facL, and ln hls book
he descrlbes a palnful scene aer whlch she declded Lo "nally leave hlm. 1hose
women who shared hls faLe as an ouLlaw, however, were Lo know llfe ln prlson.
!eanne Schnelder spenL slx years ln prlson ln Canada and lrance, !ocelyn ueralche
spenL Lwo years ln [all ln lrance and several monLhs ln Canada, and "nally, Sylvla
!ean[acquoL, who would also be mulaLed by Lhe assasslns of Lhe an-organlzed
crlme brlgade, was held ln prevenve deLenon for Lwo years before she was re-
leased wlLhouL any charges belng pressed agalnsL her: a way of sellng accounLs
wlLh a person who had commled no oLher crlme Lhan Lo love an ouLlaw.
lL has oen been sald LhaL Lhe Algerlan War was Lhe evenL LhaL made Mesrlne sLray
from Lhe paLh of rlghLeousness". lL appears LhaL he had already Lrled Lo sLray from
lL even before, lf we are Lo belleve hls frlends from hls adolescence, parcularly
one of Lhem, "lmed by alud and MllleL ln 1984, who recounLed Lhe many mes
he played LruanL from school so he could go and waLch gangsLer movles. When
he performed hls mlllLary duLy-aer havlng gone Lhrough hls "rsL dlvorce-Lhey
senL hlm Lo Algerla, along wlLh Lens of Lhousands of oLher youLhs of hls generaon.
1he war provlded hlm wlLh an opporLunlLy Lo become pro"clenL ln Lhe use of arms
and accusLomed hlm Lo danger. Pe was no sLranger Lo "re"ghLs, and lL may be LhaL
who escaped from Lhe prlson of 8aumees, ln Marsellles (anoLher greaL feaL), or
more recenLly AnLonlo lerrara or ascal ayeL. 8uL none of Lhese people played
Lhe game of Lhe celebrlLy llke Mesrlne.
lrom Lhls polnL of vlew, a comparlson of Lhe personallLy of Mesrlne and 8esse ls
lnsLrucve. 1he former was all exuberance and exLernallzaon, Lhe laer was all
reserve and lnLernallzaon, Lhe former en[oyed everyLhlng he dld as lf he was a
gourmeL, whlle Lhe laer seemed Lo pracce asceclsm. lL has been sald of 8esse
LhaL he was a klnd of soldler-monk. lL ls noL by accldenL LhaL he ended up succumb-
lng Lo a klnd of mysclsm durlng hls lasL prlson senLence, aL Lhe end of Lhe nlne-
es, and LhaL he even wenL so far as Lo renounce hls pasL llfe as an ouLlaw. 1o fall
back upon lndlvldual lnLernallzaon can be a form of defense agalnsL an exLernal
pressure as sLrong as Lhe one LhaL welghs upon Lhe ouLlaw, Lhls me, Lhls reLreaL
ended up leadlng 8esse Lo a psychologlcal dead end from whlch he was unable Lo
escape excepL by means of a klnd of self-abnegaon, proclalmed ln 2002 aer hls
lasL Lrlal.3 Mesrlne followed Lhe opposlLe road, LhaL of exLernallzaon, LhaL of Lhe
publlc celebrlLy. Pe was noL afrald of Lhe escalaon Lo whlch Lhls would condemn
hlm: he assumed lL knowlng full well whaL Lo expecL and lL was ln Lhls LhaL hls
greaLness resldes. Pe had Lhe lmpresslon LhaL he was followlng a paLh LhaL was
lnevlLably faLal", Sylvla !ean[acquoL laLer wroLe concernlng Lhls lasL perlod of Lhe
llfe of her companlon.
1hls road also lmplled never allowlng an lnsulL from [ournallsLs Lo go unpunlshed.
1hus, ln november 1973, when he was ln SanLe, Mesrlne reacLed vlolenLly Lo an
lndecenL arcle by !acques uerogy ln l'Lxpress, whlch called hlm a pald murderer
ln Lhe servlce of Lhe plmps". ?ou really have Lo be brave Lo lnsulL a man who ls
lmprlsoned ln a maxlmum securlLy prlson, rlghL? And we may menon hls rage,
ln SepLember 1979, dlrecLed agalnsL Lhe double agenL !acques 1llller, former cop
and [ournallsL worklng for Luclen Alme-8lanc, leader of Lhe 88l and speclallsL ln
dlrLy Lrlcks. 1llller had wrlen ln Lhe fasclsLold weekly MlnuLe LhaL Mesrlne dld noL
keep hls word wlLh hls frlends. 1hls man, who always had Lo honorably respecL
hls commlLmenLs regardless of Lhe cosL (Lhe mosL beauful proof of Lhls was Lhe
expedlon he led wlLh Mercler agalnsL Lhe uSC) could noL leL Lhls pass unrequlLed:
1hose who dlp Lhelr pens ln shlL should noL be surprlsed lf one day Lhey end up
eang a loL of lL," he wroLe Lo MlnuLe aer Lhe correcve LhaL he ln!lcLed on 1ll-
ller..
1here are, however, posLmorLem confronLaons, and Lhese Lake place on Lhe blg
screen. We shall noL even speak of Lhe varlous lousy deplcons LhaL were qulckly
forgoen, buL only of Lhe Lhrlller dlrecLed by !ean-lranols 8lcheL. When he agreed
Lo play Lhe role of Mesrlne, vlncenL Cassel declared LhaL he preferred Lo explolL Lhe
conLradlcons of hls personallLy raLher Lhan creaLe an ldylllc porLralL of Mesrlne,
an lnLenon LhaL somehow was losL along Lhe way, slnce 8lcheL's bloplc, besldes
Lhe facL LhaL lL Look serlous llberes wlLh regard Lo Lhe facLs, was very careful Lo
deplcL Lhe personallLy of Mesrlne wlLhln a hlsLorlcal perspecve: durlng Lhe four
hours of Lhe "lm, all you see ls a screwed up gangsLer, who seems Lo be ready Lo
explode aL any mlnuLe and for whom Lhe only Lhlng LhaL leads hlm Lo acL ls a klnd
of neurosls. ln any evenL, lL was noL ln Lhe capablllLy of an acLor Lo recreaLe Lhe dl-
menslon of Lhe play lnhablLed by ubllc Lnemy no. 1". 1o do so, Lhey would have
had Lo have been prepared Lo subverL Lhe norms of clnemaLographlc producon
and lLs codes of language, whlch would have opened up Lhe opporLunlLy Lo make
a really orlglnal "lm, whlch Lhe eplc of Mesrlne fully deserved.
1he fear of deaLh never ceases Lo lnslnuaLe lLself lnLo llfe, and deLermlnes many
of Lhe renunclaons LhaL end up maklng men lll. Anyone who has crossed Lhls llne
musL have an lnsolenL llberLy, LhaL of playlng wlLh hls own llfe. 1he lnLenslLy LhaL
ls Lhus experlenced ls an everyday vlcLory over deaLh as an lnsldlous presence, for
whlch, however, one pays a very hlgh prlce: LhaL of dylng young.
An old sLory Lells us LhaL Lhe slave ls Lhe person who, ln Lhe sLruggle for recognl-
on, glves up and submlLs Lo hls masLer ouL of fear of dylng. 1he facL LhaL Lhls sLory
was Lransmled Lo us by Lhe pen of a phllosopher does noL aL all obvlaLe Lhe kernel
of LruLh LhaL lL conLalns. 1he sLory preserves lLs relevance beyond Lhe clrcumsLance
where Lhe masLer lmposes hls wlll ln Lhe form of Lhe medleval lord or Lhe modern
sLaLe, or wheLher Lhe slave ls deplcLed ln Lhe form of Lhe serf or Lhe clzen.6 1hls
mlghL be Lhe mosL closely-guarded secreL of all of human hlsLory, one LhaL ls so
lmporLanL LhaL no myLh or legend has ever dared Lo reveal lL.
1hose who have allowed Lhemselves Lo be dlsarmed wlll no longer rlsk Lhelr llves,
Lhey wlll be domlnaLed by a fear LhaL ls all Lhe more ab[ecL for belng subllmlnal:
Lhe fear of dylng, concernlng whlch Pegel sald LhaL lL was Lhe absoluLe masLer".
CuLlaws, Lhose who have become heroes among Lhe anonymous plebs, relaLe a
hlsLory ln reverse, Lhe oLher slde of hlsLory: Lhe slave ls always a man who has been
dlsarmed. 1he celebrlLy of Lhe ouLlaw fasclnaLes preclsely because he remlnds us
of Lhls repressed LruLh: wlLhouL a warllke eLhlc Lhere ls no freedom.7
lL ls noL naLural Lo dle young. 8uL Lo dle because one has de"ed Lhose who possess
Lhe legal monopoly of vlolence ls an exceponal desny. Mesrlne allowed hlmself
Lhe luxury of Lranqullly looklng deaLh rlghL ln Lhe face. Cn Lhe cassee Lape LhaL
he recorded for hls glrlfrlend shorLly before he dled he Lold her wlLhouL Lhe leasL
amblgulLy: lf you are llsLenlng Lo Lhls Lape, lL means LhaL l am shuL lnLo a cell from
whlch Lhere ls no escape.." lL ls especlally lmporLanL LhaL one does noL percelve
Lhls ablllLy Lo play wlLh llfe as any klnd of predlsposlon Lo sacrl"ce or a Lendency
Lo sulclde. Mesrlne loved llfe passlonaLely. CLherwlse, where dld he geL Lhe energy
Lo escape four mes? Mesrlne, as he would laLer wrlLe ln Lhe "rsL pages of 1he
ueaLh lnsncL, only re[ecLed, slnce hls reLurn from Algerla, Lhe consLralned and
clock-waLchlng llfe Lo whlch he was desned.
Mesrlne chose Lo dle wlLh arms ln hand. ln LhaL same era, hundreds of young
people dled wlLh a syrlnge ln Lhelr hands. CLhers oen exlLed Lhls llfe due Lo an
accldenLal overdose or a conLamlnaLed needle. 1he eplc of Mesrlne oers, Lo Lhe
conLrary, Lhe proof LhaL llfe can only be experlenced ln acon, se ng one's own
persona lnLo play ln a generous and rlsky way. lL does noL seem more ldloc Lo
me Lo dle from a bulleL Lo Lhe head Lhan aL Lhe wheel of an 816 or ln uslnor work-
lng for mlnlmum wage," he declared (lnLervlew ln Llberaon, !anuary 3-4, 1979).
!acques Mesrlne was a real "ghLer.
Pe was also a real blg spender. Mesrlne burned money. 8esldes Lhe facL LhaL he
llked Lo roll ln Lhe dough, he played poker and Lhe games aL Lhe caslnos, and he
losL. 8uL whaL Lhe bank robber played wlLh aL Lhe caslnos was hls llfe. Some bank
robbers save up Lhelr money, accumulaLe a bankroll a llle aL a me by way of
Lhelr helsLs and holdups and Lhen one day Lhey peacefully rere. 1hose who burn
money, on Lhe oLher hand, en[oy ln Lhe form of Lhls speclal klnd of vergo Lhe facL
LhaL Lhey cannoL experlence llfe ln any oLher way Lhan always pushlng lL Lo Lhe
llmlL. ?es, llvlng aL Lhe llmlLs. 1o lose ln one nlghL whaL one had won ln a few mln-
uLes. Absurd buL emoonally srrlng. 1he lnLoxlcaon of Lhe game ls noLhlng buL
one aspecL of Lhe lnLoxlcaon LhaL selzes Lhe bank robber when he grabs, ln a few
seconds, a few packeLs of cash. As soon as he wlns lL, he burns lL, Lhe bank robber
only knows money as excess. lL ls such an lnLense experlence LhaL one accepLs Lhe
rlsk LhaL one mlghL lose one's llfe whlle engaglng ln lL.
Mesrlne dld noL Lake drugs, however. ln any evenL, drugs were noL parL of Lhe
cusLoms of hls generaon. Pe dld noL llve Lo see Lhe advenL of Lhose bank rob-
bers who were sLued full of cocalne and who monopollzed Lhe headllnes aer
Lhe mlddle of Lhe elghes. And he was even less llkely Lo have anyLhlng Lo do wlLh
drug Lra cklng, an acvlLy LhaL he correcLly consldered Lo be [usL as desplcable as
plmplng.
1he gangsLers of Lhe slxes wlLh whom Mesrlne was acqualnLed usually assured
Lhelr baslc lncome by plmplng one or more glrls (alLhough Lhey dld noL lnvenL
Lhe sloL machlnes and drug Lra cklng had noL yeL acqulred Lhe lmporLance lL has
now). 1he resL of Lhelr lncome was provlded by Lhes, robberles and Lra cklng,
and consLuLed a supplemenL of resources Lhanks Lo whlch Lhey could, once Lhey