Algerian Hero Who Saved Mother and Baby from Violent Attack Granted French Residency

"A relief". This is the feeling that now animates Arezki Benazouaou, the hero of Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois and his family.

A year ago, this 40-year-old former Algerian lawyer, who dreams of becoming a legal officer in the French administration, stood out by saving his neighbor and her 10-month-old baby from the knife blows of a violent husband, reports Le Parisien. During the attack, he had not hesitated to welcome the injured victims to his home, while the aggressor, in a rage, was slashing Arezki’s door to try to get back in.

For this act of bravery, Arezki Benazouaou obtained an exceptional admission to residence, validated by the prefecture of Essonne, on February 3, after long administrative procedures. In his uphill battle, he received the support of his neighbors, the mayor of the city, a deputy from Essonne and the (left-wing) senator, Olivier Léonhardt, and in particular his lawyer, Salim Ben Hamidane.

With this document, valid for one year on French territory, he will be able to take real estate management courses at the University of Evry, and integrate more easily as a French citizen, pending obtaining French nationality.