In the midst of ongoing nationwide unrest in France following the death of an unarmed teenager in a police shooting, fresh reports of violence have emerged. Attackers targeted the house of a mayor in a town south of Paris, ramming a car into the property and causing injuries to the mayor’s wife and one of their children. The incident is being treated as attempted murder and has sparked widespread shock and condemnation.
The mayor, Vincent Jeanbrun, who belongs to the conservative Les Républicains party, was not present at home during the attack. However, his wife suffered a broken leg, and one of their children was also injured. France Unrest: Who is Paris Mayor, Vincent Jeanbrun, whose house is attackedThe incident took place at 1:30 am while the mayor was at the town hall, which itself has been the target of attacks in recent nights and has been fortified with barbed wire and barricades for protection.
His wife, Melanie Nowak, and their two young daughters aged five and seven were asleep. The assailants not only targeted their home but also set their family car on fire. As the mother and children attempted to escape, the attackers fired mortar fireworks towards them, intensifying the danger they faced.
Expressing his account on Twitter, Mayor Jeanbrun stated, “At 01:30 am, as I was in the town hall just like the two previous nights, people ram-raided my home before starting a fire to torch my house, where my wife and my two young children were sleeping. While attempting to shield them and fleeing the attackers, my wife and one of my children got hurt.”
The violence in France has escalated since the police shooting incident in Nanterre, leading to several nights of widespread urban unrest. On Saturday night alone, more than 700 people were arrested, and a massive deployment of 45,000 police officers was made to regain control of the situation.
The attempted attack on the mayor’s house and the harm caused to his family has further heightened tensions in the country. Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne described the incident as intolerable, reflecting the gravity of the situation and the need for swift action to restore peace and security.