Two men and a woman suspected of having assaulted the deputy La République en Marche (LRM) Stéphane Claireaux outside his home in Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon on January 9, during a demonstration against the health pass, were arrested on Thursday and indicted the next day, the national gendarmerie announced on Saturday January 22.
Acting within the framework of an investigation in flagrante, at the request of the public prosecutor of Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, the investigators of the research brigade of Saint-Pierre proceeded to the exploitation of a “ten videos broadcast on social networks as well as at the hearing of around thirty identified witnesses”, explained the gendarmerie in a press release.
On January 9, the MP was waiting for protesters outside his home “to discuss with them”, as he had told on Franceinfo, when several people threw seaweed and various projectiles at him. “It looked like stoning”, had estimated the chosen one, ensuring to have avoided “within five centimeters a pebble passed by” of his face. The Minister for the Sea, Annick Girardin, denounced “unacceptable aggression”, and the deputy had filed a complaint.
Directly targeted elected officials
Since July, 534 incidents of “serious threats” against elected officials directly linked to the management of health measures against Covid-19 have been identified, and more than 400 complaints, filed, according to the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin.
One of the two men arrested has been identified as the one who tore off the MP’s mask. The other man and the woman were as the authors of the seaweed jets. All three were notified on Friday of an indictment accompanied by judicial review (ban on contact with the deputy, ban on participating in a demonstration).
The gendarmes are continuing their investigations to identify other perpetrators.