Hundreds march in support of French mayor whose house was attacked by burning car

Paris [France], July 4 : Hundreds of people on Monday marched in support of a French mayor whose house was attacked by a burning car, as the country entered the second week of violent protests and riots, CNN reported

A large crowd in Paris' L'Hay-les-Roses showed solidarity with Mayor Vincent Jeanbrun whose house was rammed by the vehicle early on Sunday morning.

The gathering came after a calmer night in the country, which has been racked by angry protests since a police officer shot and killed a 17-year-old boy at a traffic stop last Tuesday. Jeanbrun's address was well known in the community before the attack, CNN affiliate BFMTV reported. The incident injured his wife and one of his children, Jeanbrun said earlier, calling it an assassination attempt.

During the march, locals and officials held up a banner reading "Together for the republic!" Jeanbrun, dressed in the sash of the French Tricolor, told supporters: "I have only one word: thank you.

"Democracy was attacked," he said. "More than ever, our republic and its servants are threatened and attacked," he added, as per CNN.

The mayor in a previous statement on Sunday, said that while he was at city hall, "individuals rammed their car upon my residence before setting fire to it to burn my house, inside which my wife and my two young children slept."

"While trying to protect the children and escape the attackers, my wife and one of my children were injured," he said, adding that he had "no words strong enough to describe his emotion towards the horror of this night."

France's Ministry of Interior said 157 people were detained overnight into Monday morning, down from more than 700 the night before.

Three police officers were injured, a police station was attacked and 352 public roads were set on fire, but BFMTV reported that "no major incident was reported" overnight, as per CNN.