Witnesses were horrified when they looked up to see a toddler dangling from the fourth floor balcony of an apartment complex. Many people gawked and gasped, but one man jumped into action, climbing the grated hand rails of each floor to reach the child.
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Global News reports, Mamoudou Gassama, a 22-year-old Malian immigrant, is being hailed as a hero for his quick thinking and selfless actions. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo praised his good deed, tweeting, “Congratulations to Mamoudou Gassama for his act of bravery that saved the life of a child.”
Gassama spoke with mayor Hidalgo about his recent immigration, telling her that he would like to stay. She told the media, “I replied that his heroic gesture was an example for all citizens and that the City of Paris will obviously be keen to support him in his efforts to settle in France.”
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Gassama’s actions have impressed many of Paris’s citizens, including President Macron. The Washington Post reports that Macron offered Gassama a job as a fire-fighter and went on to state that he would streamline Gassama’s naturalization.
Le Parisien newspaper reports Gassama’s own reaction to the incident, “I did it because it was a child,” the paper quoted him saying. “I climbed… Thank God I saved him. I didn’t think about the floors. I didn’t think about the risk.”
