Firefighters in the French region of Loire-Atlantique claim they have been attacked by members of the public every day since the start of July.
Over the weekend, 15 firefighters in Nantes protested the ongoing violence stating that they were fed up being attacked after between 30 and 40 firefighters had been assaulted since the start of the year, newspaper Ouest France reports.
Thierry Vogne of the Southern Union at departmental service of fire and rescue services (SDIS) of Loire-Atlantique claimed that since the start of the month a firefighter has been attacked every single day in the region including three who were recently faced death threats.
“From now on, we have to keep in mind not only the victim but we must also take into account the environment,” Vogne said and added: “Yesterday, it was insults. Today they are threats of death and physical aggression.”
Loire-Atlantique is not the only region dealing with violence towards firefighters.
In March of last year, the Alpes-Maritimes firefighters union released a series of short videos to the public calling on people to stop attacking the emergency services workers including one highlighting far-left extremist violence.
Attacks on firefighters have also led to serious consequences, including the death of a woman in Nice last August who died as a result of a fire in her apartment. Shortly after arriving at the scene, the firefighters were harassed by several local youths who hindered their efforts to put out the fire.
Other branches of the emergency services have also seen attacks on their members, including an attack last month in the commune of Ygos-Saint-Saturnin where volunteers working for the Fédération Nationale de Protection Civile (FNPC) were sprayed with acid.
In Toulon, workers for the Mobile Emergency and Resuscitation Service (SMUR) were given bulletproof vests last year to defend themselves against the growing tide of violence.