QUENTIN DE GROEVE / Hans Lucas via AFP
Le député Renaissance Karl Olive lors d’un débat – évènement organise par le média le JDD, au Palais des Sports de Paris le 25 novembre 2025.
Poissy, France – A political rally for French lawmaker Karl Olive was targeted by mortar fire Saturday, leaving several people with minor injuries. The incident, occurring as Olive campaigns for reelection as mayor of Poissy, raises concerns about escalating tensions during the current election cycle.
According to police sources, the attack took place on Place Racine, a neighborhood where Olive has deep roots, during a “café quartier” event designed to allow residents to interact with the candidate. Between four and seven people sustained light wounds, with injuries reported to the back, neck, and hands. Photos show individuals being treated for minor injuries.
Firefighters responded to the scene around 4 p.m. Local time, but reported no one required hospitalization. Law enforcement recovered a used mortar shell at the scene, though no arrests have been made as of Saturday evening.
Olive shared a video of the incident on social media, capturing the sound of five mortar blasts near a compact crowd gathered under a tent. “We received a huge mortar blast. The first shot fell one meter from me,” Olive told Le Parisien. He believes he was specifically targeted, stating, “I am a child of this village, this has never happened in Poissy… They don’t realize the deadly danger. It’s lamentable, unacceptable, I will not let this pass.”
Candidate Plans to File Complaint
Olive released a statement condemning the attack as a “grave act” and asserting that nothing justifies a physical assault on residents or a candidate. He described the incident as “an intolerable obstruction to local democratic life and a profoundly anti-democratic act” committed by “a tiny minority of thugs.”
The candidate told Le Parisien he intends to file a formal complaint with the Poissy police department Saturday. He also extended his thoughts to those injured during the event. Police reported the situation was calm following the incident, with a municipal police unit remaining on site as the rally resumed. This attack follows a similar incident last week involving another candidate in the Yvelines region, suggesting a pattern of violence during the campaign season.
