Yoann Gillet | |
|---|---|
| Member of theNational Assembly forGard's1st constituency | |
| Assumed office 22 June 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Françoise Dumas |
| Member of theRegional Council of Occitania | |
| Assumed office 4 January 2016 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1986-08-29)29 August 1986 (age 38) Rennes, France |
| Political party | National Rally (2008–present) |
| Other political affiliations | Union for a Popular Movement (until 2007) |
| Occupation | Civil servant, politician |
Yoann Gillet (French pronunciation:[jɔanʒilɛ]; born 29 August 1986) is a French politician who was elected thedeputy in theNational Assembly for the1st constituency ofGard in the2022 legislative election. A member of theNational Rally (RN), he was also elected to theRegional Council of Occitania in2015.
Gillet grew up inTouraine before settling inCaen. He worked as a civil servant before becoming a politician.[1] He became active in theUnion for a Popular Movement (UMP) as a teenager but left the party in 2007 citing his disappointment withNicolas Sarkozy. However, the local UMP branch claimed to have expelled Gillet after he endorsed a deputy mayoral candidate in Caen who was not a member of the party.[2] Gillet joined theFrench National Front (now National Rally) the following year.[3]
After moving toGard he worked forJulien Sanchez's mayoral campaign and was elected as a municipal councilor for the RN inNîmes in 2014. In 2015, he was elected as a regional councilor inOccitanie and became the party secretary and leader for the RN in the region. In 2020, he stood for mayor of Nîmes and finished in second place.[4]
During the2017 French legislative election, he stood inGard's 1st constituency but was beaten in the final round byLREM candidateFrançoise Dumas. He stood in the same constituency in the 2022 election and was successful at winning the seat.
In 2022, Gillet was appointed head of the RN federation in Gard afterGilbert Collard left the party.[5]
In 2019, Gillet was a victim of physical assault by two men. According to Gillet's statement, the attackers had presented themselves as members ofANTIFA and had given him insults and death threats while he was sitting at an outside table at a bar before returning to physically attack him, including burning a cigarette against his face. The police indicated that the men were not found to belong to any group but were charged with aggravated assault and for assaulting six other people along with two other suspects. The attack was condemned by Secretary of StateMarlène Schiappa.[6]