Three men suspected of assaulting Brigitte Macron’s grand-nephew, Jean-Baptiste Trogneux, on Monday have been remanded in custody. What are their profiles?
[Updated May 17, 2023 8:02 PM] They are ages 20, 22, and 34. Three of the four alleged attackers of Jean-Baptiste Trogneux, grand-nephew of Brigitte Macron, were placed in pre-trial detention this Wednesday, May 17, 2023. These defendants with marginalized profiles were initially to be tried in Amiens in immediate appearance, in particular for violence in meeting, but their lawyers asked for more time to defend them. They are suspected of having beaten up this boss of the famous chocolate factory of the same name. Monday evening, in the city center of Amiens (Somme), shortly after an interview with Emmanuel Macron at 8 p.m. on TF1, Jean-Baptiste Trogneux, 30, was recognized and taken to task by a group which participated in Demonstration against pension reform.
The trio of adults was presented to a judge in immediate appearance, he who had been placed in police custody since the day before in the company of five other people. Four have since been released and another presented to a juvenile judge because of her age. If the trial was postponed to Monday, June 5 at 2 p.m., their incarceration pending their judgment was motivated by a “risk of repetition” in the eyes of justice. As for the teenager, her fate has not yet been decided.
The immediate appearance hearing, open to the public, allowed to learn a little more about the profile of three of the four alleged attackers (the fourth being a teenager presented to a juvenile judge). All of them already have heavy mentions in their criminal records. A first, born in 1988, was convicted of violence against a minor over 15 years old, violence against a spouse and death threats; a second, aged 23, is already known for intentional violence against persons holding public authority; a third, who is only 20 years old, has already been convicted of rape and sexual assault on a 15-year-old minor.
As of Tuesday, the Courrier picard indicated that these people “were part of a group of demonstrators who regularly gather in front of the town hall”, according to the father of the victim. According to him, this is not the first time that the chocolate factory has been targeted, as people have already tried to attack the trade. “This time, the opponents have gone too far,” he said.
Meanwhile, RMC reported that the group consisted of a total of seven men between the ages of 20 and 35 and a 16-year-old teenage girl, all of whom were arrested. Six are known to the police, not the girl. The men arrested are 20, 23, 24, 26, 29 and 35 years old. Three of them are “protected adults”: two are under curatorship and one under guardianship. If four people were summoned by justice, the other four were released.
This Monday, May 15, 2023, Jean-Baptiste Trogneux was the victim of a violent attack, in Amiens (Somme), on the sidelines of a demonstration against the pension reform. The reason for this attack would be due to his relationship with the President of the Republic. Indeed, the young man is the great-nephew of Brigitte Macron, wife of the president. According to the testimony of his father to the Courrier picard, the manager of a family chocolate factory was taken to task by a dozen people who “stumbled upon him” while he was at his business. The group punched and kicked him, insulting him, the president and his wife. Jean-Baptiste Trogneux was injured in the head, face, knee and finger, requiring eight days of ITT. A complaint has been filed.
This attack aroused the indignation of the Macron family, in particular Brigitte Macron who declared herself in “total solidarity” with her family, as reported by BFM TV. She also denounced “the cowardice, stupidity and violence” of the attackers and recalled: “I have repeatedly denounced this violence which can only lead to the worst.” For his part, the Head of State, traveling to Reykjavik (Iceland), brought his “support” and his “affection” to Jean-Baptiste Trogneux. “Violence has no place in a democracy,” he added.
The attack was also condemned by the political class, on the left as well as on the right. Some politicians have pointed out that this is a milestone in political violence in France. Marine Le Pen, president of the RN group in the Assembly, called for an exemplary sanction for the aggressors.
The link between Jean-Baptiste Trogneux and Emmanuel Macron is not direct. It was through Brigitte Macron that this was created. The assaulted man is indeed the grandson of one of the First Lady’s brothers, whose maiden name is Trogneux. It is therefore the great-nephew of Brigitte Macron and Emmanuel Macron is his great-uncle.
