The facts took place on Sunday February 27 on the forecourt of the Saint-Michel basilica. The attacked priest does not wish to file a complaint while the town hall condemns “an unacceptable attack”.
A man spat on the priest of the Saint-Michel basilica in Bordeaux, Sunday February 27, after mass. A video relayed on Twitter by the account “Bordeaux Infoshows the scene, which takes place on the church square. We see the aggressor, the lowered mask, approaching the monk. He pronounces a sentence in a foreign language before spitting in her face. “The author of the video is a parishioner, he wishes to remain anonymous“, tells us the editor-in-chief of the account “Bordeaux Info”.
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The diocese of Bordeaux confirms this aggression in a press release which was sent to us. “Work is currently taking place on the arrow of Saint-Michel in Bordeaux and barriers prevent the installation of sellers in their usual place on Sunday, market day. They then settled on the forecourt of the Saint-Michel church, making access to the building difficult.“, begins the press release.
Street vendors set up in front of the church entrance
According to this press release, the police intervened for the first time on Sunday February 27 around 11 a.m. to dislodge the street vendors who were installed in front of the entrance to the church. Subsequently, the priest – who was celebrating mass – realized that the sellers had relocated to the forecourt. Accompanied by an altar server, he then went out to open the passage while blessing those present. This is where the individual spat in his face.
The priest who received the spit does not wish to file a complaint, specifies the diocese of Bordeaux in its press release. The diocese “reaffirms its desire to cultivate a climate of peace and fraternity in this Saint-Michel district, in close collaboration with the municipality, associations and the police“. The video relayed by “Bordeaux Infopresents the aggressor asa Muslim” but no factual element allows for the moment to affirm it.
The town hall condemns “unacceptable aggression”
The town hall of Bordeaux indicates to the Figaro that she “strongly condemns this unacceptable aggression“. “The deputy mayor in charge of worship, Laurent Guillemin, immediately contacted the victim and Pierre Hurmic (the mayor of Bordeaux, editor’s note) expressed his full support to the Archbishop of Bordeaux.“, we are told.
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Regarding the presence of street vendors in the square, the town hall explains that “the municipal police and the national police intervene regularly to put an end to this situation“. Finally, the municipality believes thatthe phenomenon of street sales affects all cities with a very vulnerable public and in great precariousness” and say “think about a project for an alternative place, called ‘biffins market’, as other big cities are already doing”. Contacted, the Bordeaux prosecutor’s office has not yet responded to our requests.
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