An activist for French populist Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) was hospitalised after being targetted and brutally beaten by five far-left Antifa militants.
The incident took place on Sunday morning in the Les Halles area of the commune of Saint-Nazaire as a Benoît Glotin, 49, was handing out RN party leaflets with another volunteer. Five Antifa militants then began to harass them, telling them to leave.
The two activists did not leave, and the Antifa militants then attacked Glotin, repeatedly beating him to the ground and threatening to kill him.
According to former municipal councillor Gauthier Bouchet, the 49-year-old was taken to hospital, suffering from a fractured ankle, broadcaster France Bleu reports.
“Insulted and then beaten, he suffered a fractured ankle. Cowardice and violence are the hallmarks of the far left… Support for our comrade!” Bouchet wrote.
Several other RN politicians commented on the incident, including the former mayoral candidate for Nice Philippe Vardon, who stated: “But Benoît will not make the front page of the newspapers. You see, he’s an RN activist, so, somehow, maybe he was asking for it, wasn’t he? Few will say so; many think it.”
Police say they have launched an investigation after Mr Bouchet launched a complaint.
France’s Antifa groups are some of the most violent in Europe and often target political opponents and law enforcement officials.
In recent years, Antifa militants had allegedly plotted to kill police officers and soldiers, with one such plan being uncovered in May 2020 when two militants were arrested in the commune of Corbas and the municipality of Bourg-en-Bresse.
In December of that year, seven Antifa extremists were arrested in connection to another terror plot aimed at police officers and soldiers. The leader of the group, 36-year-old Florian D., is also said to have fought overseas with Kurdish militias.