“Violence and hatred can resurface everywhere”. In Lairoux, a village of nearly 630 inhabitants in southern Vendée, a couple is the target of a series of homophobic violence. Tagged house, threatening letters and home ransacked after an intrusion last weekthe authors have still not been identified at this stage. While the victims have filed a complaint and the investigation continues, the town hall supports them and denounces the acts “intolerable”.
“Unacceptable” violence, in a peaceful hamlet
In the hamlet where the couple lives, their house is closed. All around, in the subdivision, most residents are aware of the wave of malicious acts that have taken place in recent days. The mayor of the town published a press release on Facebook to inform his constituents and express his indignation, “He did well to do that, and I agree with him,” testifies Christophe, neighbor of the couple for almost two years. He adds: “This kind of behavior has no place anywhere. whether in small towns or in large ones.” Mélissa, living a few steps from the victims' house, knows the couple from “far away”, describing them as discreet and without incident, “Why go after them?” she blurted out, in a disappointed tone, “It’s depressing and unacceptable to come to this, it no longer even gives confidence in humanity”.
Other inhabitants of the hamlet express their fear, like Hélène. She has lived here for over 20 years and has never seen this, “I get chills, it’s scary and I tell myself that it could happen to us too. But who could have done this?” His friend, Thierry, also condemns these homophobic acts, “We hardly dare believe it in 2024 to see stuff like this. It's absurd to see this today, we're really living in crazy times.”
“Fear will quickly change sides”
For now, the perpetrators of these various acts have still not been identified. The investigation was entrusted to the Luçon gendarmerie brigade after a complaint filed by the couple. The mayor of Lairoux, Cédric Guinaudeau, immediately publicly condemned this violence in a press release published on the town hall's Facebook page, “We condemn it publicly so that the perpetrators reflect on their actions, their violence and their scope.”. According to the latter, the couple, living in the town for almost 10 yearshad never had any problems until then. “It’s a jovial community with mutual aid” he insists, before adding, “we wonder how long it can stop”.
The councilor says he has hope that justice will be done, “We are waiting for the consequences, I know that justice will be served when we know the names of the alleged perpetrators. Let them realize that fear will quickly change sides and that they will not go unpunished.”
