Isère: What we know about the serious attack on a mayor in his commune
Gilles Dussault, the mayor of a small village in Isère, was attacked in his town along with his son by a man armed with a blunt object on Wednesday, August 6. The elected official was rushed to Édouard Herriot Hospital in Lyon. The assailant, who has not been identified, fled the scene. Police are still searching for him.
Mayor Gilles Dussault was walking along a street in his town on Wednesday, August 6, with his 28-year-old son. Shortly before 5 p.m., the mayor of Villeneuve-de-Marc (Isère) – a town with fewer than 1,200 inhabitants – was struck with a blunt object by an unidentified person, according to the fire department.
The mayor was rushed to the Edouard Herriot Hospital in Lyon, while his son was taken to the hospital in Vienna in a relatively urgent manner, according to the same source. The mayor's life is no longer in danger, according to reports from RTL . The alleged perpetrator of the attack fled in a vehicle he abandoned after hitting a wall, and escaped on foot, the fire department added. The police are still looking for him.
"When an elected official is attacked, the nation stands by his side. When its representatives are attacked, the Republic must be severe and uncompromising," President Emmanuel Macron responded on X. "Everything is being done to find and condemn the perpetrator of this cowardly act," he added.
In a statement, the prefecture confirmed the "violent" attack. "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 giving further details on the circumstances.
On X, the Minister of Regional Planning, François Rebsamen, said he was "deeply shocked and moved by the violent attack on the mayor of Villeneuve-de-Marc and his son." "An elected official of the Republic and his family attacked: this is intolerable. The attacker must be found and punished with the utmost firmness," he added.
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