Jean-Baptiste Trogneux, 30, boss of the famous chocolate factory of the same name "had the courage to face the cowardice, stupidity and violence of a group that I leave to justice to qualify," said the wife of the president of the Republic, in a statement sent to AFP, saying she was "in total solidarity" with her family.

Monday evening, in the city center of Amiens (Somme), shortly after an interview with Emmanuel Macron at 20:00 TF1, the great-nephew of the first lady was attacked by several people who participated in a "break" against the law on pensions, told AFP the father of the victim, Jean-Alexandre Trogneux.

The attackers beat him on the head, arms and legs, cursing "the president, his wife and our family," before fleeing when three neighbors intervened, he said.

Eight people were arrested, still in custody Tuesday, according to a police source.

The Amiens prosecutor's office did not respond to AFP's requests, and the exact circumstances of the attack are, at this stage, not known.

As for the prefect of the Somme, he condemned "unacceptable acts" and "thanked the police forces for their responsiveness in the arrests," the prefecture told AFP.

Jean-Baptiste Trogneux was Tuesday morning "under observation waiting for a scanner," according to his father.

The latter deplored that despite the absence of "any financial link" between the Trogneux chocolate factory and the presidential couple, the establishments of the brand, founded by Brigitte Macron's great-grandfather, have been regularly targeted since the head of state came to power, especially during the yellow vest crisis.

"Worse and worse!"

Several politicians were quick to react to the attack.

President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte, in Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis, April 29, 2023 © Alain JOCARD / AFP/Archives

"Worse and worse! And now the family of the President of the Republic," commented Renaissance MP Karl Olive.

"No to violence and terror," tweeted the boss of the Republicans, Eric Ciotti, asking for a "relentless" sanction against the perpetrators.

"In a democracy we go to the polls and we choose our representatives," said MEP (LR) and former minister Nadine Morano.

The left also condemned the attack. "These facts are serious and unacceptable. We do not defend democracy by attacking a chocolatier," said François Ruffin, deputy of the Somme.

"Hitting + the great-nephew + of a politician, to reach the latter, is a cowardly act," said the elected LFI of Seine-Saint-Denis Alexis Corbière.

This attack comes as the debate on violence against elected officials and their families is revived since the resignation, last week, of the mayor of Saint-Brevin-les-Pins (Loire-Atlantique), Yannick Morez, whose home was the target of an arson. The mayor, who will be heard in the Senate on Wednesday, had been under pressure for weeks from far-right groups opposed to the relocation of a reception center for asylum seekers near a school in the commune.

The attack on Jean-Baptiste Trogneux took place on the sidelines of a breakdown. These concerts of pots and pans have not stopped since the promulgation in mid-April of the pension reform, adopted by forceps.

If they sometimes bring together only a few dozen people, they are organized almost every trip of Emmanuel Macron, the head of government or a minister, but also during the televised speeches of the head of state who does not see "a formidable democratic sign".

Protests against the presidential camp continue.

Late Tuesday morning, 150 young people demonstrated in front of the Paris headquarters of the Renaissance party and launched balloons filled with paint against the facade of the building, according to a police source. Two people have been arrested and an investigation is ongoing.

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© 2023 AFP