A mayor’s scarf (illustrative image). – Francois Launay / 20 Minutes
In 2020, attacks, threats and insults against elected officials have tripled, with 1,276 cases reported, reveals
Franceinfo this Tuesday. To help them cope with this type of increasingly frequent situation, training has been set up by the National Gendarmerie.
The Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin and the President of the Association of Mayors of France (AMF) François Baroin, wrote to all the mayors of France to inform elected officials of the existence of this incivility management training . Developed with the help of the GIGN, these practical and theoretical exercises should make it possible to “facilitate dialogue and re-establish communication with the individual or individuals in question”. The national police must also offer the same type of training in the coming months.
More and more targeted attacks
Incivilities against local elected officials have been increasing for several years, recalls the AMF. More than 500 mayors or deputies and 60 parliamentarians were physically attacked in 2020. Even more worrying: increasingly personalized actions, with targeting of the vehicle (63 cases) or the home (68 reported cases).
Two mayors have also been placed under judicial protection in recent weeks, recalls Franceinfo. To encourage mayors to testify and file a complaint, an observatory for attacks on elected officials has been created.