In the National Assembly,
The day began with a rare moment of harmony within the political groups: the launch of a commission of inquiry to shed light on the violence, looting and failures in maintaining order during the October 17 demonstration. But rest assured, the political fight quickly took over. In a fiery mano a mano, the government and the rebels fought this Tuesday over political responsibility for the events of the weekend.
“The goal of LFI is chaos”
Even before the start of questions to the government (QAG), the subject agitates the Hall of the Four Columns of the Assembly. “The goal of the rebels is to want chaos, to support chaos, to support the blockades of high schools and then to appear all smiles in front of the cameras,” breathes Sylvain Maillard, Renaissance deputy for Paris. A few meters away, the rebellious Hadrien Clouet pushes the Minister of the Interior. “Who is responsible for security in France? It's Laurent Nuñez, it's his job, and he has failed. The government wants the high school movement to rot so it can break it,” adds the elected official from Haute-Garonne.
Accused by the central bloc, the right and the National Rally of having increased the level of violence, the rebels found (unexpected) help this Tuesday from the elected socialists. “Some within the government wanted to blame La France insoumise for the looting, for what was broken in a certain number of city centers […] this is not the fair truth,” replies Mélanie Thomin, PS MP for Finistère.
“That’s not true!” This is false! »
At the start of the QAG at 3 p.m., Manuel Bompard is the first to take the microphone. But it’s not really to ask Sébastien Lecornu a question. “You refuse to respond to the youth […] your amateurism has done the rest,” laments the Marseille MP, who denounces “a fiasco for which you are solely responsible.” The LFI coordinator, notes in hand, adds: “You will not get away with manipulating the intelligence services, as Mediapart revealed, to accuse La France insoumise.” Here he mentions an article in which the investigative media notably cites a territorial intelligence commissioner claiming that he had been asked to “text to write that it is LFI which is behind the movement even though this is objectively false”. “A state scandal”, denounce the rebels.
“That’s not true!” Intelligence services do not work on political parties. He has never been asked to write about the LFI, never! It's false, it's false! This is your diversionary action,” thunders Laurent Nuñez, arriving at the microphone. A sign of his annoyance, the Minister of the Interior's voice goes off the rails several times. “I have my share of responsibility […] but you have yours in the support you provide to the ultra-left and the radicalized far left. You have added fuel to the fire! », he loses his temper under the jeers of the rebels. “Mr Minister, you have lost control, you have admitted it, resign”, continues Manuel Bompard under the “barbouze” launched by his troops.
“You are dangerous for democracy”
After other questions on October 17 and the security failures, the tone rises again between the rebels and the government. “You have been in power for ten years and you have never been responsible for anything. You make us responsible for the problems you created to exonerate yourself from your catastrophic balance sheet. The most dangerous among you are already dreaming of banning us…” says Mathilde Panot while the LR President of the Senate, Gérard Larcher, estimated Monday in Le Figaro that the ban on La France insoumise could be “placed”. “You are dangerous for democracy, you do not govern, you are content to last,” supports the rebellious elected official.
This time, it is the Prime Minister who takes the podium. “Always the same rhetoric, that which consists of sowing chaos and then victimizing oneself through lies and anathema,” accuses Sébastien Lecornu, nodding his head. “A shame! », shouts a rebel. “I’m not trying to ban you, I want to fight you at the ballot box!” You have chosen your camp, it is that of shame, and we will fight you,” continues the head of government. The latter warned that he would meet political party leaders on Thursday to try to get out of the crisis. We do not yet know if La France insoumise will be there.
