Overview

• During a July 12 communal festival in Saint-Dié-des-Vosges, Mayor Bruno Toussaint, his wife Catherine and four municipal officers were physically and verbally attacked by a man identified as a former town employee.
• Complaints filed on July 13 accuse the assailant of assault and of hurling sexist and racist insults at the mayor and intervening officers.
• According to investigators, the alleged attacker had his municipal work contract terminated earlier this year and may now face prosecution under France’s tougher laws on violence against public servants.
• The incident follows a series of threats and violence targeting local elected officials over the past year, including anonymous death threats containing ammunition and the arson of a councilor’s car.
• National lawmakers are debating measures to strengthen enforcement of security protocols and increase penalties for attacks on municipal leaders.