Rioters attacked the home of a mayor in France and injured his wife and child amid ongoing protests in the country.
According to local reports, rioters attempted to burn down the home of L’Haÿ-les-Roses Mayor Vincent Jeanbrun while his wife and young children were inside.
‼️ [ 🇫🇷 FRANCE ]
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🔸 Vidéo du domicile de Vincent Jeanbrun, Maire de l'Haÿ-les-Roses, attaqué à la voiture bélier. L'élu affirmait sur Twitter que sa femme et ses enfants avaient été blessés. Son véhicule personnel a brûlé lors de l'attaque. (📷 @ClementLanot) pic.twitter.com/sDyxd3IbnA
“My wife and children in shock and hurt,” Jeanbrun wrote in a social media post at around 2 a.m. local time. The tweet was later deleted, but members of the mayor’s staff later confirmed the attack.
During the attack, Jeanbrun was at the town hall, which he had fortified after dozens of government buildings had been targeted with Molotov cocktails and other explosives previously. His house, meanwhile, was not guarded by the police.
The mayor’s wife then evacuated the residence with the couple’s young children and was injured after the mob of rioters chased them. After escaping, she was transported to a local hospital and spent the night “in a safe place,” according to French newspaper Le Figaro.
“Last night, a milestone was reached in horror and ignominy. My home was attacked and my family was the victim of an assassination attempt,” Jeanbrun said in a statement on Sunday. “My determination to protect and serve the Republic is greater than ever. I will not back down.”
Populist politician and former presidential candidate Éric Zemmour expressed his support for the mayor and called for the “savages” who attacked his home to be brought to justice.
“A milestone has yet been crossed. These savages dared to touch his family, because he has the only fault of being mayor and therefore of representing France,” Zemmour said. “All my support for Vincent Jeanbrun, mayor of L’Haÿ-les-Roses.”
This comes afterwidespread rioting, aarson ,and attacks on police continued in France following the officer-involved shooting of a 17-year-old French-Algerian teenager.
Over 400 more people were detained by French police overnight on Saturday as the riots, which were primarily caused by migrants from Africa and the Middle East, went on for a fifth straight night. 1,300 people in total were arrested the previous night, while more than 45,000 police officers were stationed in various cities and towns around the country.
Jeanbrun had also called on the French government to declare a state of emergency in order to put an end to the violence.
