Two teachers admitted to having sprinkled Jean-Michel Blanquer with whipped cream, campaigning for the legislative elections on Saturday in Montargis (Loiret), in order to protest against his candidacy, and will appear on July 4 in court, announced the city prosecutor’s office.
In a video posted on social networks, we see two men approach the former Minister of National Education in a street in Montargis, and spray him in the face with a white foam.
Jean-Michel Blanquer was campaigning in a market when the facts occurred around 11:30 a.m. He filed a complaint.
The public prosecutor of Montargis Loïc Abrial announced the opening of a flagrant investigation for “aggravated willful violence”.
“The former Minister of National Education was sprayed with whipped cream and insulted by two men, aged 51 and 57. The victim was not injured. secondary school teaching profession,” he said.
Arrested at the scene, the two teachers, unknown to the courts, were placed in police custody for “intentional violence in a meeting”.
Their custody was lifted in the evening, announced the Montargis prosecutor in a second press release. “The two teachers in custody admitted the facts to the investigators. They explained that they wanted to protest against Mr. Blanquer’s candidacy for the legislative elections”, adds the prosecutor.
The fifties will appear on July 4 at 9 a.m. before the prosecutor at the Montargis court for an appearance hearing on prior admission of guilt, or plead guilty.
They will have to answer for “violence in a meeting that has not resulted in total incapacity for work, an offense for which the penalty incurred is three years’ imprisonment”, adds Loïc Abrial.
“An election campaign is a moment of democratic happiness through exchange,” tweeted the former minister shortly after the fact. “Things are going well here in Montargis meeting the citizens. I have just been attacked by two individuals who want to break this. Let’s not accept it”.
Jean-Michel Blanquer received the support of Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne who tweeted: “The debate, the confrontation of ideas are always riches. Physical or symbolic violence has no place in our democracy”.
The new Minister of National Education Pap Ndiaye also tweeted: “Democratic life can only exist in a debate of ideas respectful of the men and women who are committed”.
“Violence has no place in the democratic debate”, added the general delegate of LREM Stanislas Guerini, also on Twitter.
04/06/2022 22:37:32 – Rennes (AFP) – © 2022 AFP
