The mayor of a village in Meurthe-et-Moselle attacked for asking for calm in the village hall

Europe 1 with AFP 21:36 p.m., June 04, 2023

The mayor of a village in Meurthe-et-Moselle was molested by several people after intervening to put an end to the nighttime disturbance, an attack that moved and earned him signs of support. Edouard Babel, mayor of Magnières, a small town of about 300 inhabitants near Lunéville, was violently attacked in the night from Saturday to Sunday when he had gone to the village hall to ask for calm to people gathered to celebrate a birthday. He explained that he was first slapped.

"When I came out, a dozen guests followed me. They put me on the ground and beat me. Fortunately, local residents and friends intervened. I had the fear of my life," Edouard Babel told the newspaper L'Est Républicain. "It's very hard, it's gratuitous violence," added the mayor who filed a complaint but does not intend to resign.

"This violence requires a criminal response"

An 18-year-old man and a 16-year-old minor were arrested and taken into custody, "the first on the charge of violence in assembly, insult and threats against a person holding public authority. The second for death threats and insults to the police made during his arrest," said the prosecutor of the Republic of Nancy, François Capin-Dulhoste, to the newspaper.

The elected official received signs of support following this attack which comes a few weeks after the resignation of the mayor of Saint-Brevin-les-Pins in Loire-Atlantique, who had decided to leave office after suffering threats and violence.

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"To attack a mayor is to attack the foundations of what unites us, the Republic. This is unfortunately what happened last night in Magnières," said in a statement the prefect of Meurthe-et-Moselle Arnaud Cochet. "This violence requires a criminal response (...) This violence also calls for a strong response," he wrote. "Faced with this aggression, the State and the prefectural body have reaffirmed to Edouard Babil their unfailing support. We are at his side and in contact with the Gendarmerie to ensure the security of his commune."