Eight people were arrested after a cousin of French first lady Brigitte Macron was attacked on Monday. It happened after the televised address of the French president.
Jean-Baptiste Trogneux was beaten by anti-government protesters in the northern city of Amiens. He suffered head, arm, and leg injuries and is awaiting the results of a scan.
He was attacked outside a chocolate shop in Amiens. The store has been owned by Brigitte Macron’s family for six generations. The object was repeatedly targeted by demonstrators.
French President Emmanuel Macron called the attack “unacceptable”. He added that “violence has no place in democracy”. The attackers fled the scene after neighbors intervened.
Local police said they arrested eight people after the attack. Jean-Alexandre Trogneux is the father of the attacked young man. He stated he did not understand why his family business was being targeted.
“Emmanuel Macron has nothing to do with our business. I don’t understand all these people who are still bothering us. Some of them are even calling for a boycott of our shops and products,” he added.
Brigitte Macron said today that she is in complete solidarity with her family. She condemned “cowardice, stupidity, and violence”.
Macron is facing an enormous wave of protests across the country over the announced reform of the pension system. The reform envisages raising the retirement age. He is now 62 and should be 64.
