“When we do not respect the basic rules of our country, everyone must know that the State will show firmness
,” scathed Gérald Darmanin this Wednesday on X. The Minister of the Interior announced the expulsion of residents of 'Hantay, in the North,
"on his instruction"
.
The cause was serious threats made in mid-February against the village mayor, Jacques Montois.
Last Wednesday, February 21, the councilor and one of his deputies were attacked by around ten people during a trip to the town of 1,200 people.
He had come to a dead end to take photos of trees that needed to be pruned.
“We are going to rape your wife”
“When these people saw us, it started with “classic” insults. We left to avoid making the situation worse,”
the mayor told our colleagues at
La Voix du Nord
.
“A group, first two people then around ten, some wearing hoods, caught up with us to threaten us: “We are going to rape your wife, we are going to kill your dog, we are going to kill you, we are going to burn your house.. .””
And continued:
“One of the guys picked up an iron bar to threaten us.”
After this event, Jacques Montois filed a complaint, and said he was ready to resign,
“because I am not putting my family in danger
,” he confided.
A rally in support of the elected official was organized in the town.
For his part, one of the people targeted by the mayor's complaint had contested his version, and in turn filed a complaint against him, accusing him of having slapped him.
Social housing squat
The prefect of the North confirmed the eviction to Le
Figaro
this Wednesday, and mentioned that one of the accused people was illegally squatting in social housing.
“Following death threats addressed to the mayor of the commune of Hantay by a person squatting in social housing, the prefect of the North issued formal notice to this occupant by prefectural order to leave the premises within seven days.
In the absence of implementation of this formal notice by the person concerned, the prefect granted the assistance of the public force in order to put an end to the squatting of this accommodation today
,” indicated the prefecture.
“The owner of the accommodation, a social landlord, had taken legal action in parallel with this procedure in order to evict this family from the accommodation.”
Following the death threats,
“the prefect decided to initiate the administrative procedure specific to residential squats
,” she continued.
In the case of squatting in a home, the winter break, which lasts until March 31, does not apply.