Conservative politicians across France have reacted angrily to viral footage of an adult male attempting to kidnap a young girl from her home in Bordeaux while under the supervision of her grandmother.
The incident occurred on Monday outside a family home in the southwestern French city. Doorbell footage shows the 73-year-old grandmother and her granddaughter appearing to answer the door as the perpetrator eyes up his target.
When the couple turned their backs to re-enter the home, the attacker approached the property and used his foot to prevent the grandmother from shutting the front door. He could then be seen throwing the grandmother, who was attempting to shield her granddaughter from the attacker, to the ground before trying to drag the young girl away.
The young girl ran back to her grandmother and the attacker fled the scene.
The grandmother was hospitalized following the attack but is expected to make a full recovery. The young girl also went to the hospital after sustaining minor injuries, according to Actu 17.
The man was tracked down by police and arrested shortly after the incident. He remains in custody and has been charged with home invasion, attempted kidnapping, and violence against vulnerable persons and minors under the age of 15.
According to police sources, the perpetrator was born in Bordeaux but is of a migration background. He was already “very unfavorably known to the police” with a long rap sheet.
“His criminal record bears traces of 15 convictions, mainly in connection with road disputes and drug offenses,” a police source said, cited by French media.
French politicians expressed their indignation over the incident on Monday evening as the footage circulated on social media.
“The images of a little girl and her grandmother attacked in broad daylight in Bordeaux are unbearable. These attacks are daily and insecurity, aggravated by the migratory chaos, is becoming endemic. How many videos like this does it take for those in power to react?” tweeted former presidential candidate and National Rally parliamentary leader Marine Le Pen.
Le Pen’s niece, Marion Maréchal, who is now affiliated with Éric Zemmour’s Reconquête party described the attack as “despicable. It’s appalling. Impunity, fuel of barbarism,” she added.
Zemmour himself tweeted, “How awful, Bordeaux today. This is what they have done to our country. France, wake up!”
Other conservative leaders from across Europe also commented on the incident including Dutch nationalist Geert Wilders, who blamed the incident on the “open borders of Macron, Rutte, and Scholz” and said the attack reflected “the new reality throughout Europe.”
