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Mayors: elected officials increasingly targeted by attacks
Mayors are increasingly being targeted for attacks in France. In 2022, the rate of violence against elected officials increased by 32%, according to the Ministry of the Interior. – (France 2)
In France, mayors are increasingly targeted by attackers. In 2022, the rate of violence against elected officials increased by 32%, according to the Ministry of the Interior.
2,387 attacks targeting mayors have been recorded since the start of the year. Gregory Delfour, mayor (SE) of a small town near Narbonne (Aude), was the victim of violence last summer. While he tries to oppose the installation of caravans on a sports field in his town, “in a snap of the fingers, there were 5-6 strong men who came, shook me, tore my clothes, threw me against the hedge and made me fall into the ditch“.
“When I was little, we respected the mayor”
The mayor must have had difficulty understanding this situation and regrets the systematic use of violence. “When I was little, we respected the mayor, we looked up to him“, he confided. According to figures from the Ministry of the Interior, attacks against mayors increased by 32% in 2022 and should increase by another 15% in 2023 according to forecasts. And yet, mayors are the preferred elected officials the French.