A deputy mayor of Saint-Denis (Seine-Saint-Denis) was violently beaten on Wednesday evening in the street after being followed by several people, AFP learned on Thursday from police sources and the municipality.
Around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday evening, the deputy of the socialist mayor of Saint-Denis Mathieu Hanotin was leaving a work meeting when she felt like she was being followed in the street. Caught, she was brushed before being kicked in the head and body. His attackers fled.
The motive for the attack “not clearly established”
If the motive for the attack is “not clearly established” as it stands, according to a police source, the investigations must determine whether the victim was targeted because of her status as an elected official, an aggravating circumstance in criminal law . “Several elements seem to indicate this possibility but the ongoing investigation must confirm it,” the Saint-Denis town hall told AFP, specifying that the assistant “does not have a fracture or excessively serious injury”.
Violence against elected officials is a sensitive subject, which has gained momentum in recent months. Public opinion was marked by the arson at the home of the mayor of Saint-Brevin (Loire-Atlantique) and the car-ramming attack which targeted that of his colleague from L’Haÿ-les-Roses ( Val-de-Marne) during the summer riots.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, attacks against elected officials are expected to increase by 15% in 2023 after an increase of 32% last year.