The Assommoir bombing was a bomb attack carried out on 23 October 1882 around 2:00 A.M. by anarchist Fanny Madignier and at least two accomplices against L'Assommoir, a restaurant associated with the Lyonnese bourgeoisie. This was the first deadly anarchist attack in French history, although the intent to kill is unclear.
Since the 1870s and even more from the Black Band insurrection in August 1882 onwards, the Lyonnese anarchist movement faced significant repression, leading to increased conflict with the French state. At the time, Lyon was a major stronghold for the movement, to the extent that it could be considered one of the 'capitals' of the anarchist movement.
On the morning of 23 October 1882, the day after the opening of the Black Band trial, a group consisting of three companions, including two men and one woman, entered the establishment, which remained open all night. The group sat down and ordered food and drinks totaling 5 francs. Around 2:00 A.M., while 200 people were still on the premises, the woman—presumably Madignier—closed the curtain surrounding the booth where the group was seated. Meanwhile, her two accomplices lit the fuses of three bombs: two small-caliber devices and one much more powerful device intended to explode later. They threw them under the table before quickly fleeing the scene. The two small bombs exploded, leading the restaurant owner to believe there was a gas leak. He cut off the gas supply, plunging the underground room into total darkness, save for the flames beginning to catch on the booth's curtains from the initial blasts.
As the crowd rushed toward the exit due to the small explosions and the darkness, a few customers, including a man named Miodre, moved toward the booth where the third, more powerful bomb had not yet detonated. Unaware of the danger, Miodre attempted to stomp out the fire and stepped on the device, triggering it prematurely. This explosion, significantly larger than the previous two—which may have been intended to frighten the crowd and push it towards the outside—destroyed part of the building and injured those near the epicenter, including the owner and Miodre, whose leg was pulverized. About ten others were also injured. Miodre died from his wounds a few days later.
The attack shocked Lyon's upper classes and led to continued repression against anarchists, culminating months later in the Trial of the 66 in January 1883. Extensive raids were carried out against Lyonnese anarchists. Antoine Cyvoct, manager of the anarchist newspaper L'Étendard révolutionnaire, was accused by authorities of committing the attack. He was acquitted of the bombing itself but was nonetheless sentenced to death for allegedly writing a newspaper article against the restaurant eight months prior. Madignier, however, managed to escape and disappear. She was sentenced to life in a penal colony in absentia, but French authorities were never able to find her.
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