The affair almost made him relinquish his functions. In mid-February, Jacques Montois, mayor of Hantay (North), was the target of a violent verbal attack, as reported by several local media. While he was taking a photo of a dead end whose trees had to be pruned, accompanied by his assistant, he “was insulted, threatened with death as well as his family. The individuals also made threats of rape against his wife and damage to her property,” it is stated in a leaflet which was distributed to the inhabitants of this town located not far from Lille. On TF1, the mayor explained that several of these people were hooded and that one of them had an iron bar.
On the social network my education.”
As France 3 reported, quoting Jacques Montois, the people who insulted and threatened him were squatting in social housing.
Formal notice
“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,” details the Northern prefecture, contacted by Le Parisien.
“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. Given the serious threats made against the mayor of Hantay, the prefect decided to initiate the administrative procedure specific to residential squats,” the authorities continue.
Although the winter break, during which an owner cannot evict his tenant, lasts until March 31, the prefecture affirms that it does not apply “in the case of squatting in a home”.
With France 3, the elected official from Hantay expressed his dismay. “I didn’t sign up for this. (…) If there is a choice to make, I will preserve my family,” he reacted. According to him, the ten or so individuals who attacked him would not have appreciated him going so close to the social housing that they were illegally occupying. Within 15 days, in the following month, if there is not a strong response from the State, services to support us and to move things forward, I will stop. I will not put my life on the line,” he explained on TF1 last week.
The mayor and his deputy filed a complaint and an investigation was underway at the end of February to determine the circumstances of the case. According to Le Point and Ouest France, one of the individuals targeted by the accusations disputes this version and assures that Jacques Montois would have slapped him. He also filed a complaint.