Police in front of Vincent Jeanbrun's house after attacking him during the fifth night of violence Photo: NASSIM GOMRI/AFP < p>Rebels rammed the mayor's house with a car in the south of Paris, and then set fire to it while his wife and children slept.
Protesters chased Melanie Novak and her two children outside the house and garden as the family tried to flee, in the latest example of the brutal violence sweeping France .
A mother suffered a serious leg fracture after trying to push her children over the wall that separates her garden from her neighbor's backyard, and was recuperating in the hospital on Sunday morning. One of the children was also injured.
Vincent Jeanbrun, mayor of L'Ay-le-Rose, a suburb south of Paris, called the attack on his family an “assassination attempt.”
said Mr. Jeanbrin, who is also a representative of the conservative Republican Party. The protesters set fire to the house. Credit: NASSIM GOMRI/AFP
The incident took place on the fifth night of nationwide unrest as France witnessed more acts of vandalism, looting, fires and clashes with police.
The country was rocked by riots after police killed 17-year-old Nahel Merbouze, a French teenager of North African descent, who was shot at point-blank range during a traffic stop last week by police.
Gerald Darmanin, police officer The Home Secretary on Sunday praised authorities for their “decisive action” which led to a “more restful night.”
Police made 719 arrests throughout France on Saturday evening, compared to 1,311 arrests made the night before.
Mr. Darmanin promised justice to Mr. Jeanbrin and his family, “victims of a cowardly and horrific attack.”
“An investigation into the attempted murder has been launched and considerable judicial police resources have been mobilized. Those responsible for these facts will be held accountable for their heinous actions,” he tweeted.
Vincent Jeanbrun worked at City Hall during attacks. Photo: Instagram
The attack happened at 1:30 am on Sunday. Mr. Jeanbrun said the rioters started the car right in front of his house and set it on fire while his wife and two young daughters, five and seven years old, slept. The attackers also set fire to the family car and fired mortars at the mother and children who were trying to escape. The mayor at that time worked in the mayor's office.
The local prosecutor said that a plastic bottle filled with a fire accelerator was also found at the scene. The police launched an investigation into the attempted murder.
“Given the seriousness of the situation, the prosecutor's office has decided to classify this act as an attempted murder, and everything will be done to find the perpetrators and bring them to justice,” Stephane Hardouin said in L & # 39; Ay-le-Rose.< /p> 
Melanie Novak, Mr. Jeanbrin's wife, and their two young daughters were asleep when the attack took place. Photo: Aymeric Guyonnot
The attack was opposed by French Prime Minister Elisabeth Born, who condemned the “intolerable incident” and promised that “the perpetrators will be punished with the greatest firmness.”
Protesters, mostly minors, set fire to cars. , damaged infrastructure and clashed with police in a fit of rage after an officer shot Nahel. The Holocaust Memorial in Nanterre, the Memorial to the Martyrs of the Deportation and the Resistance, was also defaced with anti-police slogans during last week's riots.
About 7,000 officers will again be deployed to Île-de-France on Sunday evening, and trams and buses will stop running again from 21:00.
The murder was caught on video, which circulated on social networks and sparked anger from -for police violence against minorities, exposing serious racial tensions in France.
“We want everything to calm down”
On Sunday, the victim's grandmother spoke out against the escalation of violence and called for calm.
“People who are rioting, I tell them: “Stop,” she said in an interview with French television.
“They are using Nahel as an excuse. Stop breaking windows, buses, schools. We want to calm the situation. We don't want them to destroy things, we want them to keep calm, those people.”
The grandmother also expressed outrage at the fundraising campaign in support of the policeman's family, which has raised almost £429,000 so far.
“My heart hurts. But he will be punished like everyone else. I believe in justice '.
Laurent Nunez, chief of the Paris police, warned that it would be premature to say that the riots are subsiding.
“At the moment we can 'Don't talk about a decline, I don't think that would be wise' , he told BFMTV.
“We must be extremely careful. We will continue to be present.”
French President Emmanuel Macron postponed a state visit to Germany due to start on Sunday by holding a special security meeting with members of his government on Sunday evening. .
After the meeting, an official present said Mr Macron asked the authorities to “continue to do everything possible to restore order and guarantee the return of calm,” French media reported.
Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, said that Germany was “watching with concern” the unrest in France.
“I do not expect France to become unstable, even if the images very upsetting,” said Mr. Scholz.
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