I’m disgusted,” murmurs a regular at the Café des Négociants opposite Montfavet church. ‘When I imagine that it was young people who did that …’ comments the older man. In this district of Avignon, the public response to Father Laurent Milan’s abuse on Saturday evening, May 10, spread like wildfire. On Sunday morning, at the time of mass, the police car, which had been positioned in the square as a precaution, did not go unnoticed by the faithful.
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According to the testimony of the priest, which was confirmed by the testimony of one of the witnesses present, the situation escalated as soon as the ten young people, aged around 15-20, entered the premises. ‘One of them started running around, others grouped around the priest, shouting insults,’ explains Isabelle, who was present with her husband after the night mass. ‘We all had a hard time getting them out,’ admits the art restorer.
They didn’t insult me personally, they just provoked me and made insulting remarks against the Catholic religion such as ‘Jesus, we’re fucking you’. According to the priest, who says the perpetrators shouted “allah akbar”, they repeated “several times”: “We will come back and burn down your church,” reports Father Milan, who is still in shock.