Accused of threats and aggression against a priest in Tarascon-sur-Ariège, a 58-year-old man appeared on Thursday, January 5, 2023 before the Criminal Court of Foix (Ariège). On two occasions in September and November 2022, in connection with a neighbourhood dispute over a leak in the gutter of the presbytery, the defendant had threatened Father Jean Ngendakuriyo, among other things with the words 'If my son were here, he would have slit your throat and thrown you in the dustbin'.
The remarks were reported by the regional daily La Dépêche du Midi, which was present at the hearing. In court, the man denied making any such threats. He also accused the priest of calling him a 'dirty Muslim'. On 5 January, the Foix prosecutor's office requested an 8-month suspended prison sentence for the defendant.