the mayor of a village in Sarthe threatened with death

Death threats directly addressed to the mayor. “It’s a shame to be a communist, but it won’t last.”, is written on the back of a leaflet arrived by post at the town hall, accompanied by a revolver bullet. A threat that the mayor of Arthezé (Sarthe), Sylvain Poirrier takes very seriously, even if he has a little difficulty explaining it, in a small, uneventful village of barely more than 300 inhabitants.

“Please tell yourself that I paid dearly in the affair, confides Sylvain Poirrier. People attack me personally, but also as a communist. I think more of people outside the community. We all know each other. It’s a big family, this village.”

Fabien Roussel provided his support

The threat plunged the chosen one into great concern. “We are worried when you receive a letter like this, he said. And then we are also protective of our family who is also behind all of this. To tell you the truth, I have short nights.”

The mayor has since changed his habits and has had to lock the town hall when he is there. The investigation was entrusted to the Sarthe gendarmerie who carried out the usual survey. The prefect of the department, other elected officials and the national secretary of the PCF Fabien Roussel gave their support to the threatened mayor.

According to a Cevipof survey, published in November 2023, nearly seven out of ten mayors say they are victims of incivility. This is 16 points more than in 2020. On February 6, the National Assembly looked into a bill already passed in the Senate which lists a whole series of measures to help these representatives of French people, regularly confronted with violence. The bill was tabled in May 2023, particularly in the context of the resignation of Yannick Morez, mayor of Saint-Brevin-les-Pins, whose home was affected by a fire.