section_path: Campaign/Candidate incidents and controversies/Physical attacks involving candidates and activists
section_name: Physical attacks involving candidates and activists
paragraph_text: Physical attacks involving candidates and activists
  
  Several candidates also reported attacks against them and activists supporting them over the course of the campaign. Florian Chauche, LFI candidate and incumbent deputy for Territoire de Belfort's 2nd constituency, decried physical attacks and the usage of racist slurs against his supporters on 17 June. On 20 June, Hervé Breuil, RN candidate for Loire's 2nd constituency, alleged that a group of masked individuals struck him from behind and pelted him with rotten fruit while hurling verbal abuse at him. On 23 June, numerous left-wing activists (for LE candidate Céline Papin in Gironde's 1st constituency, LE candidate and outgoing deputy Sabrina Sebaihi in Hauts-de-Seine's 4th constituency, and Socialist Party (PS) candidate Joao Martins Pereira in Val-de-Marne's 8th constituency) reported being assaulted and threatened by supporters of the far-right.
  
  Séverine Vézies, LFI candidate for Doubs's 1st constituency, claimed that a self-proclaimed RN supporter attempted to strike a man in his 80s with a broomstick while putting up a campaign poster for her on 25 June. Danielle Simonnet, LFI deputy for Paris's 15th constituency, organised a "rally against the far-right" after four of her supporters were tear-gassed, assaulted, and called "anti-Semitic bastards" by a group of far-right supporters while putting up election posters in the 20th arrondissement of Paris on the evening of 2 July. On 3 July, RN MEP Marie Dauchy, candidate for Savoie's 3rd constituency, announced she was suspending campaigning after being attacked at the market in La Rochette, with a merchant allegedly trying to kick her while tearing up her campaign leaflets.
  
  On the evening of 3 July, Prisca Thevenot, Spokesperson of the Government of France and Renaissance candidate for Hauts-de-Seine's 8th constituency, along with her substitute Virginie Lanlo and one of her supporters, were attacked by a group of fifteen people while putting up campaign posters in Meudon, with four of them arrested following the attack. The supporter in question was struck in the face using a scooter, breaking their jaw, while Lanlo was punched and kicked, while Thevenot herself escaped uninjured. Bernard Dupré, deputy mayor of La Tronche, was punched in the right eye by a man who he says claimed to be an LFI supporter on 4 July while putting up campaign posters for the campaign of Olivier Véran, Renaissance candidate for Isère's 1st constituency, though the attacker claimed that Dupré was the first one to strike him.
  
  On 4 July, Thomas Mesnier, former Horizons deputy and candidate for Charente's 1st constituency, reported that one of his supporters had been kicked, punched, and targeted by homophobic insults by a group of four people while putting up posters in Angoulême. That evening, Geoffroy Didier, LR candidate for Hauts-de-Seine's 6th constituency, reported that one of his supporters had been "violently assaulted and threatened with death" in Neuilly-sur-Seine while leafleting for his campaign. Three supporters of Maxime Viancin, LFI candidate for Loire-Atlantique's 10th constituency, were chased down the street by an RN supporter who screamed "Bardella will take care of the lefties, dykes and trans" at them before pushing one and punching another, while his wife joined him on the street while waving a French flag.
  
  On 2 July, Le Courrier de la Mayenne resurfaced a report from 12 January 1995 about Annie-Claire Jaccoud Bell, RN candidate for Mayenne's 3rd constituency, engaging in an attempted armed hostage-taking at the Ernée town hall, firing a single wayward shot from a rifle she smuggled into the town hall while fighting with a secretary.
  
  In anticipation of potential violence after the second round, Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin announced that 30,000 police would be deployed across the country on the evening of 7 July. He also announced on the morning of 5 July that despite the short campaign, 51 different candidates, substitutes, and supporters had been physically attacked, often suffering significant injuries requiring medical attention in the process, with more than 30 arrests having been made among people with "extremely varied profiles."
  
  Several candidates also reported attacks against them and activists supporting them over the course of the campaign. Florian Chauche, LFI candidate and incumbent deputy for Territoire de Belfort's 2nd constituency, decried physical attacks and the usage of racist slurs against his supporters on 17 June. On 20 June, Hervé Breuil, RN candidate for Loire's 2nd constituency, alleged that a group of masked individuals struck him from behind and pelted him with rotten fruit while hurling verbal abuse at him. On 23 June, numerous left-wing activists (for LE candidate Céline Papin in Gironde's 1st constituency, LE candidate and outgoing deputy Sabrina Sebaihi in Hauts-de-Seine's 4th constituency, and Socialist Party (PS) candidate Joao Martins Pereira in Val-de-Marne's 8th constituency) reported being assaulted and threatened by supporters of the far-right.
  
  Séverine Vézies, LFI candidate for Doubs's 1st constituency, claimed that a self-proclaimed RN supporter attempted to strike a man in his 80s with a broomstick while putting up a campaign poster for her on 25 June. Danielle Simonnet, LFI deputy for Paris's 15th constituency, organised a "rally against the far-right" after four of her supporters were tear-gassed, assaulted, and called "anti-Semitic bastards" by a group of far-right supporters while putting up election posters in the 20th arrondissement of Paris on the evening of 2 July. On 3 July, RN MEP Marie Dauchy, candidate for Savoie's 3rd constituency, announced she was suspending campaigning after being attacked at the market in La Rochette, with a merchant allegedly trying to kick her while tearing up her campaign leaflets.
  
  On the evening of 3 July, Prisca Thevenot, Spokesperson of the Government of France and Renaissance candidate for Hauts-de-Seine's 8th constituency, along with her substitute Virginie Lanlo and one of her supporters, were attacked by a group of fifteen people while putting up campaign posters in Meudon, with four of them arrested following the attack. The supporter in question was struck in the face using a scooter, breaking their jaw, while Lanlo was punched and kicked, while Thevenot herself escaped uninjured. Bernard Dupré, deputy mayor of La Tronche, was punched in the right eye by a man who he says claimed to be an LFI supporter on 4 July while putting up campaign posters for the campaign of Olivier Véran, Renaissance candidate for Isère's 1st constituency, though the attacker claimed that Dupré was the first one to strike him.
  
  On 4 July, Thomas Mesnier, former Horizons deputy and candidate for Charente's 1st constituency, reported that one of his supporters had been kicked, punched, and targeted by homophobic insults by a group of four people while putting up posters in Angoulême. That evening, Geoffroy Didier, LR candidate for Hauts-de-Seine's 6th constituency, reported that one of his supporters had been "violently assaulted and threatened with death" in Neuilly-sur-Seine while leafleting for his campaign. Three supporters of Maxime Viancin, LFI candidate for Loire-Atlantique's 10th constituency, were chased down the street by an RN supporter who screamed "Bardella will take care of the lefties, dykes and trans" at them before pushing one and punching another, while his wife joined him on the street while waving a French flag.
  
  On 2 July, Le Courrier de la Mayenne resurfaced a report from 12 January 1995 about Annie-Claire Jaccoud Bell, RN candidate for Mayenne's 3rd constituency, engaging in an attempted armed hostage-taking at the Ernée town hall, firing a single wayward shot from a rifle she smuggled into the town hall while fighting with a secretary.
  
  In anticipation of potential violence after the second round, Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin announced that 30,000 police would be deployed across the country on the evening of 7 July. He also announced on the morning of 5 July that despite the short campaign, 51 different candidates, substitutes, and supporters had been physically attacked, often suffering significant injuries requiring medical attention in the process, with more than 30 arrests having been made among people with "extremely varied profiles."
  
  Several candidates also reported attacks against them and activists supporting them over the course of the campaign. Florian Chauche, LFI candidate and incumbent deputy for Territoire de Belfort's 2nd constituency, decried physical attacks and the usage of racist slurs against his supporters on 17 June. On 20 June, Hervé Breuil, RN candidate for Loire's 2nd constituency, alleged that a group of masked individuals struck him from behind and pelted him with rotten fruit while hurling verbal abuse at him. On 23 June, numerous left-wing activists (for LE candidate Céline Papin in Gironde's 1st constituency, LE candidate and outgoing deputy Sabrina Sebaihi in Hauts-de-Seine's 4th constituency, and Socialist Party (PS) candidate Joao Martins Pereira in Val-de-Marne's 8th constituency) reported being assaulted and threatened by supporters of the far-right.
  
  Séverine Vézies, LFI candidate for Doubs's 1st constituency, claimed that a self-proclaimed RN supporter attempted to strike a man in his 80s with a broomstick while putting up a campaign poster for her on 25 June. Danielle Simonnet, LFI deputy for Paris's 15th constituency, organised a "rally against the far-right" after four of her supporters were tear-gassed, assaulted, and called "anti-Semitic bastards" by a group of far-right supporters while putting up election posters in the 20th arrondissement of Paris on the evening of 2 July. On 3 July, RN MEP Marie Dauchy, candidate for Savoie's 3rd constituency, announced she was suspending campaigning after being attacked at the market in La Rochette, with a merchant allegedly trying to kick her while tearing up her campaign leaflets.
  
  On the evening of 3 July, Prisca Thevenot, Spokesperson of the Government of France and Renaissance candidate for Hauts-de-Seine's 8th constituency, along with her substitute Virginie Lanlo and one of her supporters, were attacked by a group of fifteen people while putting up campaign posters in Meudon, with four of them arrested following the attack. The supporter in question was struck in the face using a scooter, breaking their jaw, while Lanlo was punched and kicked, while Thevenot herself escaped uninjured. Bernard Dupré, deputy mayor of La Tronche, was punched in the right eye by a man who he says claimed to be an LFI supporter on 4 July while putting up campaign posters for the campaign of Olivier Véran, Renaissance candidate for Isère's 1st constituency, though the attacker claimed that Dupré was the first one to strike him.
  
  On 4 July, Thomas Mesnier, former Horizons deputy and candidate for Charente's 1st constituency, reported that one of his supporters had been kicked, punched, and targeted by homophobic insults by a group of four people while putting up posters in Angoulême. That evening, Geoffroy Didier, LR candidate for Hauts-de-Seine's 6th constituency, reported that one of his supporters had been "violently assaulted and threatened with death" in Neuilly-sur-Seine while leafleting for his campaign. Three supporters of Maxime Viancin, LFI candidate for Loire-Atlantique's 10th constituency, were chased down the street by an RN supporter who screamed "Bardella will take care of the lefties, dykes and trans" at them before pushing one and punching another, while his wife joined him on the street while waving a French flag.
  
  On 2 July, Le Courrier de la Mayenne resurfaced a report from 12 January 1995 about Annie-Claire Jaccoud Bell, RN candidate for Mayenne's 3rd constituency, engaging in an attempted armed hostage-taking at the Ernée town hall, firing a single wayward shot from a rifle she smuggled into the town hall while fighting with a secretary.
  
  In anticipation of potential violence after the second round, Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin announced that 30,000 police would be deployed across the country on the evening of 7 July. He also announced on the morning of 5 July that despite the short campaign, 51 different candidates, substitutes, and supporters had been physically attacked, often suffering significant injuries requiring medical attention in the process, with more than 30 arrests having been made among people with "extremely varied profiles."