The council session was interrupted by dozens of angry protesters who verbally insulted and attacked the representatives, injuring one of them. The mayor has notified the authorities.
An astonishing scene filmed at a municipal meeting in Saint-Denis, near Paris, involved such aggression that is rarely witnessed in town halls. The ongoing council session was interrupted by an angry mob of around fifty, who hurled verbal insults at the representatives and then began pushing and attacking them.
In a statement regarding the incident, Mayor Mathieu Hanotin says the aggressive protesters are opposed to plans to reduce the town representatives’ average workload to 35 hours per week.
The mayor described the violence against the city council as incomprehensible and unacceptable, and announced that he will file a complaint against the attackers. He also encouraged his colleagues, especially those who have suffered physical harm, to take the necessary legal steps. One councillor was injured in the attack.
The incident, however, is not unprecedented, according to the LCI news television. A similar atrocity occurred some days earlier during a municipal employee’s visit to a youth centre, where the councillor was verbally abused and threatened.