French mayor injured in attack following WWII commemoration ceremony

The mayor of a town in northern France was injured after being attacked following ceremonies marking Victory in Europe Day on May 8.

Steve Bansh, the 38-year-old mayor of Vazier, was assaulted after commemorative events honoring the end of World War II in Europe, the newspaper Voix du Nord reported.

According to the report, participants in the ceremony had gathered at City Hall for a reception after laying flowers during the commemoration. The mayor reportedly approached a man who had requested to speak with him, but the individual then struck him several times.

Emergency services responded to the scene and detained the suspected attacker. Medical workers initially treated the mayor at the site before transferring him to a hospital because of his injuries.

The newspaper reported that the suspect had previously been denied social housing and that earlier appeals made to the deputy mayor had not been successful.

By Sabina Mammadli