On the windows, impact marks and constellations of cracks. On the door, there was a label in red paint and this message: “Lille antifa.” The campaign headquarters of Louis Delemer, Les Républicains (LR) candidate in the next municipal elections in the northern commune, was vandalized during the night from Thursday to Friday.
In a message published in
Our campaign headquarters is located in the district #Wazemmes was cruelly vandalized last night.
Broken windows, damaged facades, infiltration attempts, signs of insults, intimidation… this is the face of those who reject democracy.
This is not a simple act… pic.twitter.com/I3603jVBMf
— Louis DELEMER (@DelemerLouis) November 21, 2025
Louis Delemer said, “This is not a simple act of degradation. This is an attack on democratic debate, on everyone’s freedom to express themselves and engage,” said Louis Delemer. However, the far-right candidate promised that he and his team “will not back down”.
An attack on democracy
Louis Delemer received a wave of support on social networks, coming from elected officials from various political parties. In his camp, Bruno Retailleau, head of the party, Pierre-Henri Dumont, former member of parliament, or Valérie Pécresse, president of the Île-de-France region, dedicated a word to him.
Xavier Bertrand, his colleague in Hauts-de-France, did the same. “The extremists who vandalized Louis Delemer’s office are enemies of democracy. Dissent is expressed through debate or at the ballot box, not through broken windows or damaged facades,” he wrote in X.
Northern socialist senator Patrick Kanner blamed “political violence” for worsening the climate ahead of the election. Arnaud Deslandes, the outgoing mayor of Lille, and his predecessor, Martine Aubry, both regretted the move.
“Municipal campaigns are the pinnacle of our democracy and must be conducted in accordance with the law. The debate of ideas never involves violence”, emphasizes ecologist Stéphane Baly, who is also a candidate in municipal elections, as in 2020. Violette Spillebout, who took part in Renaissance, agrees: “in our city, as in any other, the commitment of citizens deserves to be respected and protected”.
Officers from Lille’s national police were sent to Louis Delemer’s campaign headquarters, in the Wazemmes district, to assess the damage this Friday. A complaint is expected to be filed during the day.
