American authorities arrested Luigi Mangione on Monday, December 9, accused of being the author of the murder of the president of a health insurance company. On social networks and for some Americans, the accused is made a hero, against the power of private health insurance companies.
4 mins
From our correspondent in Atlanta,
Since the murder of the president of the health insurance company UnitedHealthCareBrian Thompson, comments and jokes flooded social networks, rejoicing at the news. The messages attack health insurance companies, criticizing their high cost, and sometimes, the lack of consideration of certain pathologies or medical problems, in a country where the majority of people have health insurance. private.
The alleged perpetrator of the murder, Luigi Mangionewas arrested Monday, December 9 in Pennsylvania and was charged. The authorities found a notebook in which the 26-year-old man explained the reasons for his action, according to information from New York Times. “ [Le meurtre] is precise, effective and does not endanger innocent people », he would have written.
This act sparked a wave of support on the internet and among certain Americans, going so far as to call the accused a hero. UnitedHealth Group, the parent company of the subsidiary headed by the slain president, posted a message on Facebook expressing its sadness. 62,000 Internet users reacted to the publication, including 57,000 with a laughing emoji. The defendant’s lawyer said in an interview with CNN that his firm had received offers to pay the bills.
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“ How many families have been destroyed by this man and his policies ? »
“ It’s a hope, you know, Bonnie and Clyde were folk heroes, they stole from the rich and gave to the poor, it’s part of our culture. This is how popular heroes are born, and Luigi Mangione will become one », Estimates Travis, 40, who is walking in Atlanta, in the southeast of the country, with a friend. If Luigi Mangione is found guilty, Travis is hoping for a light sentence, as he completely supports the young man’s motives. “ What led him to this is suffering, it goes beyond the political landscape to UNITED STATES. Many of us feel this pain », he continues.
“ The American media quickly said that the murder was the worst thing possible, that this man had a family. But how many families have been destroyed by this man and his policies ? The healthcare system in the United States is in tatters because it is for profit and destruction for the people who have to endure it. We often talk about the left and the right, and how we are very divided, but here, we saw Internet users congratulating this man », rejoices the forty-year-old. He hopes that the defense lawyer manages to politicize this case and organize demonstrations against the health system.
“He’s not a hero, clearly not”
A few steps from Travis, Michelle, 47, criticizes the use of murder, “ but totally understands his reasons. The insurance companies here are very evil and they refuse requests from customers who need treatment or care to save their lives », she regrets. Ismael, 47, is very far from sharing this position. “ He’s not a hero, clearly not. Murder is murder, you have to pay the price, no matter the reason. He took someone’s life “, he said.
New York lawyer Benjamin Brafman explained to New York Times that he believes there is a quantity of evidence ” overwhelming » against the accused, but that the prosecutors’ work will not be so simple. It will be necessary to select the members of a popular jury for the trial and find some who have not had problems with health insurance companies. “ I think most people, when asked about this question, will say “Yes, I dealt with a health insurance company that I was not happy with.” But [ces personnes] did not, however, go out and execute the head of an insurance company. »
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