Was Father Grégoire assaulted in Avignon in February 2017?

A story condemning an attack on a priest in Avignon has been shared more than 35,000 times on social networks since February 15, but these facts date back to 2013.

“Priest attack last Monday, no information in the media”, claimed Corentin Clamens on his Facebook account on Wednesday, February 15, 2017. Clamens appears to be a supporter of the National Front. He also shared an image of the reported victim – Father Grégoire, a priest of the parish of Saint-Ruf in Avignon (Vaucluse) – with a swollen face.

This story was picked up by the editorial staff of Center-France, a member of the CrossCheck information verification project, which includes several editorial teams covering the French presidential campaign.

Father Grégoire was indeed the victim of an attack of this type, but in May 2013. Several news outlets, including AFP, Midi Libre, Provence and Dauphiné, reported on this case at the time.

In February 2015, this attack was also falsely reported on the Prêchi-Prêcha – a website that reports favorably on the National Front.