The anger provoked by French President Emmanuel Macron among some citizens on Monday met the most extreme case, when a great-nephew of Brigitte Macron, his wife, was attacked during a pot banging against the pension reform. Eight people were arrested, who have been in police custody, and of whom three will be tried on Wednesday. A teenager, also implicated, will be presented to the juvenile court.

The victim is Jean-Baptiste Trogneux, 30, who runs a chocolate shop in Amiens, about 115 kilometers north of Paris. The young man was attacked on Monday, just after an interview Macron gave on television, by a group participating in a pot-banging against the president.

About fifteen people started throwing trash cans into the store's window. When Trogneux intervened, some beat him on the head, arms and legs and insulted the "president, his wife and our family," his father Jean-Alexandre Trogneux told AFP.

The attackers fled when three neighbors intervened. "A line has been crossed, I am appalled," the victim's father added. He explained that since Macron came to power in 2017 they have suffered threats, insults and attacks in the chain of chocolate shops they have.

The entire political class has condemned this fact, considering that a red line has been crossed. The president has the lowest level of popularity because of the crisis unleashed by his unpopular pension reform, which delays the retirement age from 62 to 64 and which is opposed by almost the entire country.

Since the law was enacted almost a month ago, Macron has had pots and pans mounted almost every day and his events boycotted every time he travels. In the protests against the reform, which have lasted for months, dolls with his face have been burned and banners have been displayed in which he is sent to the guillotine.

"These actions are absolutely unacceptable," Macron himself has denounced. His wife, Brigitte Macron, denounced "the cowardice, stupidity and violence" of the aggressors. "I have repeatedly denounced this violence that can only lead to worse things."

Most parties, both left and right, have condemned what happened. "Beating the nephew of a politician to harm the latter is a cowardly act," said leftist MP Alexis Corbière.

This attack follows the resignation last week of Yannick Morez, mayor of the town of Saint-Brevin-les-Pins (west), after his house was set on fire in far-right protests against the opening of a migrant reception center.

According to the Ministry of Interior, reports of acts of physical or verbal violence against political leaders increased by 32% in 2022. In total, 2,265 local politicians have been subjected to threats and attacks and 1,293 have resigned for this reason since 2020.

  • Emmanuel Macron
  • France
  • Articles Raquel Villaécija

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Learn more