French Official Resigns After Car Set on Fire Twice in Five Months

 

 

A French elected official in the commune of Saint-Pierre-des-Corps, just outside of Tours, has decided to resign after her car was set on fire twice outside her home within a period of just five months.

 

The mayor of Saint-Pierre-des-Corps, Emmanuel François, stated this week that his deputy for housing Gania Bougadba had decided to resign after claiming she felt threatened and terrorised.

 

“She can’t continue to exercise a mandate while being oppressed,  terrorized, it doesn’t make sense,” Mayor François said and noted that her responsibilities had been given over to other elected officials earlier this week, France Bleu reports.

 

Attacks and threats toward French mayors tripled in 2020 compared to the previous year, according to statistics released by the Interior Ministry, as aggression toward elected officials rises across the country. https://t.co/FW1UB5k8R2

— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) May 31, 2021

 

Bougadba’s car has been subjected to arson twice over a period of five months last year, with the most recent attack taking place in late December. Another arson attack took place that same evening at the home of Laurence Lefèvre, who had boxes placed at the door of his house and set on fire.

 

At the time, Mayor François called the arsons an act of attempted homicide and stated, “I am outraged and revolted. I strongly condemn these acts.” According to France Bleu, the arsonists have yet to be identified and an investigation into the attacks is still ongoing.

 

Mayor François commented this week on the level of threats and violence against local officials and despite his own doctor’s office being attacked, he said he was not afraid.

 

“What worries me about the future is the rise of violence in our society. It is high time that politicians set an example,” he said.

 

Attacks on elected officials in France have become a growing issue according to a 2021 report that noted the number of attacks against French mayors during the year prior in 2020 had tripled.

 

The Association of Mayors of France (AMF) stated that in 2020 a total of 1,276 acts of aggression, including threats and acts of violence were directed at French mayors and at least 60 parliamentarians had been attacked that year.

 

‘We Will Cut Your Head Off’: French Mayor Threatened in Wake of Teacher Beheading https://t.co/BKS8bhJHPi

— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) October 24, 2020

 

 

Source:  Breitbart