Jacques Montois was the victim of a violent verbal attack alongside one of his assistants in February 2024. An event which weighed heavily on his decision, as did the deterioration of his health.
Change of direction for Jacques Montois. Soon, the mayor of Hantay, a small town in the North, will migrate to the Hautes-Pyrénées. Wednesday January 15, on the occasion of the ceremony of greetings for the new year, Jacques Montois announced that he would not seek a new mandate in 2026, reports La Voix du Nord. His deputies had not been informed of his decision.
“The year 2025 will be a year of transition,” he said. “I will respect my commitments until the end of my mandate, but I will not run again. We are changing our lives.” His house has already been sold and his family has moved.
Jacques Montoise says he recently made a “total rethink”. He highlights health concerns and, above all, the after-effects of the verbal attack he suffered in February 2024.
Trial adjourned
That day, he was attacked and threatened by around ten individuals while he was in a street in his town with Cécile Beclin, one of his deputies.
-The verbal attack is violent: the criminals announce that they are going to rape the councilor's wife, kill him, burn his house. According to La Voix du Nord, “these are mainly members of a family who are squatting in social housing in this neighborhood”.
In the days that followed, residents and elected officials from neighboring towns demonstrated in support of the mayor. And on March 7, the suspected squatters were evicted from the accommodation where they had settled. Their trial was to take place a month later. It was finally adjourned due to the hospitalization of Jacques Montois.
The attack deeply marked the councilor. Shortly after, at the microphone of BFM Grand Lille, he affirmed that he “would not hesitate to resign”, refusing to endanger his family. Since then, he believes he has received too little support to stay in office.
Florian Bouhot Journalist BFM Régions
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