the statue of a founder of Action française degraded during an ultra-left demonstration, three arrests

Several shop windows, as well as the statue of a founder of French Action, were degraded on Friday January 21 during an anti-fascist rally in Nantes, learned this Saturday franceinfo and France Bleu Loire Océan from police sources. Three people were arrested after the damage, according to information from franceinfo. Two of them were taken into custody.

According to France Bleu Loire Océan, it is the statue of Georges de Villebois-Mareuil, on the Place de la Bourse, which has been degraded by paint sprays. This soldier born in Nantes, and known for his commitment alongside the Boers against the British army in South Africa, is one of the founders of the far-right nationalist and royalist movement Action française, in 1899.

The torchlight march organized by ultra-left activists brought together 630 people between 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., at the same time ultra-right activists gathered for a mass in memory of Louis XVI, who was guillotined on January 21, 1793. There there was no scuffle between the two groups.

The socialist mayor of Nantes, Johanna Rolland, hastened to condemn on Twitter “with force the degradations of which our city center has been the object”, reports France Bleu Loire Ocean. “Support and tribute to our police officers who are doing a remarkable job in the face of these ultra-violent groups”, loose for her part the president of the regional council of Pays de la Loire, Christelle Morançais who condemns facts “extremely serious”.

Violent demonstration tonight #Nantes. I strongly condemn the damage to which our city center has been subjected and lend my support to the merchants concerned.

— Johanna Rolland (@Johanna_Rolland) January 21, 2022