Paris mayor Alexandra Cordebard assaulted by far-right activists during Nuit Blanche

Alexandra Cordebard, the socialist mayor of Paris's 10th arrondissement, was assaulted on Saturday evening by far-right activists who tried to block the opening of Saint-Laurent church for a Nuit Blanche art installation. Six people have been taken into custody, two of them suspected of intentional violence against Cordebard and Green MP Pouria Amirshahi.

The assault occurred shortly before 7 p.m. on June 6, during the 25th edition of Nuit Blanche, an annual all-night arts festival. According to a statement from the city of Paris, "far-right fundamentalist militants sought to prevent the public opening of Saint-Laurent church in the 10th arrondissement, in order to block one of the works of this 25th edition of Nuit Blanche dedicated to love." After that initial action, the group organized a street prayer near the church, which is owned by the city, and then "attacked and assaulted the mayor of the 10th arrondissement," the statement said.

Cordebard wrote on X: "I was jostled with my team. I personally received blows from these individuals, who wanted to prevent us from entering."

The artwork, titled "Sous la peau du ciel" (Under the Skin of the Sky), by artist Marie-Luce Nadal, was eventually shown to the public after police intervened, the city said. "The city gives its full and complete support to the artist and reaffirms its attachment to artistic freedom, the plurality of cultural expressions and democratic debate," the statement added.

The city of Paris announced it would file a complaint over the incident.

MP Pouria Amirshahi accused the far-right group Civitas, officially dissolved by the government in late 2023, of being responsible for the action. Civitas had called on its militants to disrupt this edition of Nuit Blanche, whose artistic director is DJ Barbara Butch — herself the target of online harassment since her performance at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

On Sunday afternoon, the Paris prosecutor's office announced that "six people were arrested and placed in custody ... after disturbances perpetrated by a group of about 30 individuals belonging to the Catholic collective Civitas." Two are suspected of intentional violence against Cordebard and Green MP Pouria Amirshahi, while four others were held for participation in a gathering after an order to disperse.