The country has been gripped by protests against the government’s agricultural policies.
Protesting farmers have vandalized the home of French Senator Francois Patriat, dumping manure, animal skins and two wild boar corpses at the entrance to the residence in Cote-d’Or, local media reported on Tuesday.
The perpetrators also left several messages near the residence, with one of them stating “don’t forget your roots” and another demanding that Patriat “pass the message to Macron.” Around 20 protesters were involved, according to reports. Pictures posted online showed the damage to the politician’s home.
It is unclear why Patriat was targeted, although his home is close to a farmers’ blockade set up on the A6 motorway during protests last month.
The senator formerly served as minister of agriculture and fisheries, and is known as a supporter of President Emmanuel Macron, whose policies have ignited mass protests by farmers across the country in recent months.
Agricultural workers are unhappy with a lack of government support as they battle falling incomes, high production costs and taxes, as well as competition from cheap imports.
Patriat, who denounced Tuesday’s incident as “a violent, vile, and filthy degradation” of his home, has filed an official complaint with the authorities.
“Farmers have been coming to my home for a long time. I have never complained, agreeing to have a dialogue with them. I have spent a lot of time in my professional life dealing with the agricultural world, I find the situation quite unfair,” he told AFP. The Dijon public prosecutor has launched an investigation into the incident.
Several of Patriat’s colleagues expressed support for the senator on social media. The president of the French Senate, Gerard Larcher, wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that Patriat “has always been attentive to agricultural issues” and called the incident “unacceptable.” Macron also commented on the protest, describing it as “scandalous” in a phone call with Patriat.
