A French bus driver died after he was attacked by a group of passengers who refused to wear face masks

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A French bus driver died after he was attacked by a group of passengers who refused to wear face masks
Veronique Monguillot, wife of bus driver Philippe Monguillo, leads a protest march in Bayonne, France, on July 8, 2020.Jerome Gilles/NurPhoto via Getty Images
  • A French bus driver declared brain dead after he was attacked by a group of unmasked passengers, according to his family.
  • Phillipe Monguillot, 59, was attacked in the south-western city of Bayonne on Sunday after he asked three passengers who were boarding the bus to wear a mask and tried to check another man's ticket.
  • Two men were charged with attempted murder on Sunday, while another two men were charged with failing to help a person in danger.
  • It is mandatory to wear face masks on public transport in France.
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A French bus driver has died after he was attacked by a group of passengers who refused to wear face masks, his family says.

Doctors declared Phillipe Monguillot, 59, brain dead in hospital on Friday, his daughter Marie told AFP. "We decided to let him go. The doctors were in favor and we were as well," she said.

Monguillot was assaulted in the city of Bayonne on Sunday after he asked three passengers who were boarding the bus to wear a mask and tried to check another man's ticket. It is mandatory to wear face masks on public transport in France.

Two men in their 20s were charged with attempted murder on Sunday, while another two men were charged with failing to help a person in danger. A fifth man was charged with attempting to hide a suspect.

The two men charged with attempted murder were previously known to police.

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The mayor of Bayonne has condemned the attack as a "barbaric act" as thousands took to the streets on Wednesday in a silent march organized by Monguillot's family, departing from the bus stop where the assault took place.

Monguillot's colleagues used their right to refuse to work after the attack but will go back to work on Monday under reinforced security, according to the Guardian.

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