"Any violence is unacceptable in a democratic society," said Mr. Castex in response to a question from LREM deputy from Oise Pascal Bois, whose garage was burnt down last week.

"But when it comes to custodians of public authority, custodians of universal suffrage, then recourse to violence is democracy, the republican pact that it comes to threaten," he stressed.

"There is no other way than repression in the face of these despicable acts," added the head of government.

Attacks and death threats have increased in recent weeks, mainly against members of the majority who must approve this week the transformation of the health pass into a vaccination pass.

Over the past few days, several of them have published on social networks the death threats they have received, including that of "beheading in the public square" and announced their intention to file a complaint.

Two Modem deputies from the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Florence Lasserre and Josy Poueyto, thus let it be known on Tuesday that they had received "several death threats" sent "since last week" on their e-mail address of deputies, told l 'AFP Ms. Lasserre, without giving the details explicitly.

These messages "related to the laws and to the (health) pass" evoke "weapons and bullets currently on the market" and end with "a list of deputies to target", explains to AFP the entourage of Ms. Poueyto.

In the same department, a third Modem parliamentarian, Jean-Paul Mattei, also told the Republic of the Pyrenees on Tuesday that they had been the subject of death threats in a message addressed to a group of deputies.

The elected representatives of the majority demand a "unanimous condemnation" of tweets like that of the pro-Frexit presidential candidate Florian Philippot who has promised to "communicate extensively on the names of the culprits", in other words the deputies who will approve the pass sanitary.

Faced with these threats, the President (LREM) of the National Assembly Richard Ferrand must make a "precise point" in January with the Interior Ministers Gerald Darmanin and Justice Éric Dupond-Moretti.

The date has not yet been set.

A referent was appointed at the end of November within the services of the National Assembly to "collect reports" and "advise" elected officials.

But the attacks are not limited to deputies: at the end of November, the car of the LR mayor of Briançon Arnaud Murgia was set on fire.

The president of the Association of Mayors of France (AMF) David Lisnard then made an "undeniable observation: there is an increase in attacks against mayors or their deputies, whether physical, verbal or psychological".

The president of the AMF is also due to meet with Mr. Dupond-Moretti soon.

© 2022 AFP