A deputy mayor of Saint-Denis (Seine-Saint-Denis) was violently beaten in the street on Wednesday December 20, Agence France-Presse (AFP) learned Thursday from police and municipal sources, in a context of increasing violence against elected officials.
Around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, the 6the The deputy mayor of Saint-Denis, Mathieu Hanotin (socialist), Oriane Filhol, was leaving a work meeting when she felt herself being followed in the street by several men. Caught, the person responsible for solidarity issues in terms of women’s rights for the commune was swept away before receiving kicks in the head and body. His attackers fled. Injured, the delegated departmental advisor “has no fracture or excessively serious injury”Saint-Denis town hall told AFP.
If the motive for the attack is not “not clearly established” As it stands, according to a police source, the attack could be linked to his elected status, according to the Saint-Denis town hall, an aggravating circumstance in criminal law. “A complaint was immediately filed and the ongoing investigation will determine the exact motives for this attack, which seems closely linked to her commitment as an elected official”according to a press release from the municipality.
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“Cowardly aggression”
Due to the sensitive nature of the investigation, it was entrusted by the Bobigny public prosecutor’s office to the specialized territorial security service. No arrests had been made as of midday.
“The commitment of the elected representatives of Saint-Denis to carry out their mandate is total. Nothing will change their determination. The perpetrators of this cowardly attack must be apprehended as quickly as possible and punished by the courts. »reacted the Saint-Denis Town Hall in its press release, expressing its “strong emotion”.
The attack against the deputy mayor sparked numerous reactions of solidarity and indignation in the political spheres of the department.
The constituency deputy, Stéphane Peu (PCF), denounced a “heinous act”. “Attacking a woman alone in the street who is returning home is undignified and cowardly”, he said in a press release. The mayor of the neighboring town of Aubervilliers, Karine Franclet (UDI), estimated the“an elected official attacked, it is the Republic that is injured”while his counterpart from Saint-Ouen, Karim Bouamrane (PS), declared that he “shocked” .
A demonstration of support will take place on Friday at 6:30 p.m. in front of Saint-Denis town hall.
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Violence against elected officials is a sensitive subject which has gained momentum in recent months. Public opinion was marked by the arson of the home of the mayor of Saint-Brevin (Loire-Atlantique) and the car attack which targeted that of his counterpart in L’Haÿ-les-Roses (Val -de-Marne) during the summer riots.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, attacks against elected officials are expected to increase by 15% in 2023, after an increase of 32% in 2022.
Le Monde with AFP
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