Early life Maxime Brunerie was born 21 May 1977 in
Courcouronnes, a southern outer suburb of Paris, the son of Annie and Jean Brunerie. He was a
far-right activist, participated in
protests and worked as a janitor. Diagnosed with
lymphoma in 1998 and undergoing chemotherapy, Brunerie found a propaganda sticker of the
neo-Nazi French and European Nationalist Party (PNFE); he became a member of the group between June and November 1998, when he left the "agonising party" to join the
Groupe Union Défense, renamed
Unité Radicale early that year. In June 1999, Brunerie entered the
National Republican Movement led by
Bruno Mégret. He ran for the party in the
2001 municipal election in the
18th arrondissement of Paris. Brunerie attended
BTS studies in
management accounting after 2000.
Assassination attempt On 14 July 2002, 25-year-old Brunerie attempted to assassinate President Jacques Chirac by firearm during the
Bastille Day military parade on the
Champs-Élysées in Paris. The week before the attempt, Brunerie obtained a
.22 rifle. On the day before the attempt, Brunerie left a message on the
Combat 18 guestbook saying "Watch the Tv This Sunday, i will be the star... Death to zog,88!" Armed with a .22 rifle hidden in his father's guitar case, Brunerie attempted to fire one shot from the sidewalk at the passing presidential motorcade; spectators noticed him before he attempted suicide. Spectators were able to divert his gun before the police were able to arrest him. According to police, the shot was very wide and the shooter's inexperience and lack of preparation made a successful assassination attempt unlikely. Brunerie was found to have been linked to the far-right group
Unité Radicale (which was dissolved in the aftermath of the shooting); he had been a candidate for the far-right party
Mouvement National Républicain at a local election, as well as being associated with the
French and European Nationalist Party. After the police searched his house, they found a copy of
Mein Kampf and a
skinhead-themed music
CD.
After his release Brunerie stated that he did not want to kill Chirac, but rather wanted to commit
suicide by cop by being beaten to death by the
GIGN. He finished his
BTS in
management accounting in prison. He was interviewed by
Europe 1 not long after his release, stating that he "lost it" in 2002 and wants to move on. His political views changed; he requested a membership for the
Democratic Movement but was denied. He voted for
Ségolène Royal in the
2011 Socialist Party presidential primary. In 2011, he was set to publish a short story in a literary magazine called
Bordel; the story was removed before publication. In 2012, he triggered a controversy by participating in the jury of a literary prize created by Laurence Biava. In 2013, he participated in a protest against
same-sex marriage. In 2018, he was sentenced to a suspended prison sentence of three months for domestic abuse. == References ==