A man was arrested Thursday and then placed under judicial supervision after having recognized the construction and placement of several wooden guillotines in the Landes, announced the prosecutor of the Republic of Mont-de-Marsan on Friday, July 30.
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These guillotines, measuring two meters high, had been erected in four small towns in the department, in Saint-Sever, Geaune, Samadet and Hagetmau, in front of shops and in squares.
On each of the guillotines, a poster was plastered bearing the names of several hundred elected signatories of a platform published on July 18 in the Journal du Dimanche which notably praised "
the courage of the decisions taken
" by Emmanuel Macron to fight against the epidemic.
This list was accompanied by a leaflet entitled: "
Prohibition of compulsory health pass and vaccination
".
50 years old and with a clean criminal record
Following complaints from two elected officials, an investigation was opened on Wednesday for "
death threats against persons holding public authority
".
After checking the video surveillance images of the city of Saint-Sever, in the Landes, a 50-year-old man, domiciled in the department and with a clean criminal record, was identified as the individual who placed a guillotine, then arrested .
Read also: Health pass: what consequences for democracy?
"
If he admitted to having built and deposited these guillotines alone, he indicated that he never had the intention or the conscience to threaten local elected officials with death
," said the public prosecutor in a press release. "
He said he wanted to alert the mayors concerned of the violation of fundamental freedoms by government decisions
." For the moment, nothing indicates that the man belongs to a “
coordinated collective
”.
The individual was presented to the Mont-de-Marsan prosecutor's office and summoned to the criminal court in October 2021 on the count of death threats against an elected official. He was placed under judicial control with "
ban on contact with the victims and ban on participating in a demonstration on the public highway
", we can read.
