Getty Vincent Jeanbrun and the scene at his home.
Vincent Jeanbrun is the mayor of the French town of L’Haÿ-les-Roses who wrote on Twitter that his home and family were attacked during the riots in France.
Video shows the aftermath of the attack.
Mentre il sindaco di Haÿ-les-Roses era asserragliato all’interno del palazzo comunale sotto assedio, altri criminali hanno attaccato la sua casa dove è stata usata un’auto in fiamme come ariete: la moglie e i suoi bambini sono stati feriti.
#HaÿlesRoses #VincentJeanbrun #France
“Last night, a milestone was reached in horror and ignominy. My home was attacked and my family was the victim of an assassination attempt,” Jeanbrun wrote in a July 2, 2023, tweet.
The riots ignited after the fatal police shooting of Nahel Merzouk, a 17-year-old who was shot while leaving the scene of a traffic stop. A viral video showed the police officer shooting Merzook at pointblank range, contradicting the initial police statement in the case; the officer is in custody.
According to BBC, there have been more than 700 arrests and more than 800 fires started by rioters on Saturday night, July 1, 2023, alone. The rioting had been going for five days and 45,000 police officers were deployed throughout France in an attempt to quell the rioting, BBC reported.
According to Times of Israel, Merzouk’s grandmother has now issued a plea for calm.
Here’s what you need to know:
Vincent Jeanbrun Says He Is Determined to ‘Protect & Serve’ the Republic of France
Cette nuit, un cap a été franchi dans l’horreur et l’ignominie. Mon domicile a été attaqué et ma famille victime d’une tentative d’assassinat.
Ma détermination à protéger et servir la République est plus grande que jamais. Je ne reculerai pas. #PasPourRien #Emeutes ⤵️
Jeanbrun wrote that he won’t be intimidated by the attack.
“My determination to protect and serve the Republic is greater than ever. I will not back down,” he tweeted.
In a statement in French on his Twitter page, Jeanbrun revealed, “At 1:30 am, as I was in the town hall just like the two previous nights, people ram-raided my home before starting a fire to torch my house, where my wife and my two young children were sleeping.”
According to BBC, no suspects have been identified. Jeanbrun called it “a murder attempt of unspeakable cowardice” and said, “a line has been crossed,” according to BBC.
Vincent Jeanbrun Tweeted That His Wife Melanie Nowak Was Injured in the Attack
Vincent Jeanbrun, the mayor of a Paris suburb, said his wife and child were injured after rioters ram-raided their house during nationwide unrest over the police shooting of a teenager t.co/zgdZ44EM8J
According to Jeanbrun, his wife was injured. Reuters reported that the attackers “launched fireworks” at the mayor’s wife and kids. Reuters reported that his wife is named Melanie and described Jeanbrun as a “centre-right” mayor. BBC gave Jeanbrun’s wife as Melanie Nowak.
Reuters reported that Jeanbrun’s wife and kids, who are ages 5 and 7, tried to escape through a backyard, and his wife broke her leg, which will take three months to heal.
According to Reuters, the town hall in Jeanbrun’s community has been protected with barbed wire and barricades. The site reported that Jeanbrun did a “walkabout” several hours after the attack to speak to well-wishers.
“While attempting to shield them and fleeing the attackers, my wife and one of my children got hurt,” he wrote in the statement.
According to France24, French Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne called the attack “particularly shocking.”
“We will let no violence get by,” she said, according to the French television station, which reported that the prosecutor is promising attempted murder charges, saying the plan was to ram the house and set it on fire.
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