In Isère, a mayor in urgent need after being attacked in his town
A tragedy and still many questions. The mayor of Villeneuve-de-Marc, a village of fewer than 1,200 inhabitants in Isère, was attacked shortly before 5 p.m. on Wednesday, August 7. While he was with his son on a street in the town, Gilles Dussault, 63, was struck with a blunt object by an unidentified person, according to the fire department.
The mayor was urgently hospitalized at the Edouard Herriot Hospital in Lyon, while his son was taken to the hospital in Vienne as a relative emergency, according to the same source. The perpetrator of the attack fled in a vehicle, which he then abandoned after hitting a wall. He eventually escaped on foot. The police are still searching for him.
"When an elected official is attacked, the nation is at his side. Our thoughts are with Gilles Dussault, mayor of Villeneuve-de-Marc, and his son, who were violently attacked. When its representatives are attacked, the Republic must be severe and uncompromising ," Emmanuel Macron reacted on X. " Everything is being done to find and condemn the perpetrator of this cowardly act."
When an elected official is attacked, the nation stands by them. Our thoughts are with Gilles Dussault, mayor of Villeneuve-de-Marc, and his son, who were violently attacked.
When its representatives are attacked, the Republic must be severe and uncompromising. Everything is being done...
In a statement, the prefecture confirmed the "violent" attack. "The perpetrator [...] is actively sought by law enforcement. Catherine Séguin, Prefect of Isère, condemns in the strongest terms this serious and unacceptable act against elected officials who work for the general interest," the statement added, without providing further details on the circumstances.
On X, the Minister of Regional Planning, the socialist François Rebsamen , said he was "very shocked and moved by the violent attack on the mayor of Villeneuve-de-Marc and his son." "An elected representative of the Republic and his family attacked: it is intolerable. The attacker must be found and punished with the greatest firmness," he added.
Libération
