This Saturday, November 23, Gabriel Attal calls on socialist, environmentalist and communist deputies to “clearly dissociate themselves” from LFI.
La France insoumise (LFI) presented this Tuesday, November 19 to the Assembly a bill aimed at repealing the crime of apologizing for terrorism. Judging this “extremely serious bill”, Gabriel Attal, president of the Ensemble pour la République group in the National Assembly, asked, in a letter sent this Saturday, November 23, to other NFP groups to “clearly dissociate themselves” from LFI .
“A fundamental limit has been crossed: that of the respect that we owe to all the victims of terrorism. Because the provisions which are targeted are precisely those which allow us today to repress the preachers of hatred who threaten our country and the values of the Republic”, writes the former Prime Minister.
In this letter addressed to Boris Vallaud, president of the socialist group in the National Assembly, Cyrielle Chatelain, leader of the ecologists and to André Chassaigne, president of the Democratic and Republican Left group, Gabriel Attal says he remembers “that it is the republican left which had proposed and voted on in 2014 this text which protected the security of the French and therefore preserved their freedom.
“Putting the interest of the Nation above the interests of political apparatuses”
The deputy for Hauts-de-Seine believes that “in the middle of the trial of the assassination of Samuel Paty, the proposed law of France insoumise is an insult and an indelible stain on those who carry it”.
“It attacks the heart of what should unite our country, particularly in the face of the Islamist terrorist threat. It tramples underfoot the dignity of the victims and their families, who on the contrary deserve the respect of all and the tribute of the Nation,” he declared.
Gabriel Attal therefore calls on the other NFP groups to “put the interest of the Nation above the interests of political apparatuses”. And he asks them if they will be able to “clearly dissociate themselves from this proposed law” in order to “defend our values, those of the Republic”.
“It is imperative to protect public freedoms”
By proposing to eliminate the offense of glorifying terrorism, La France insoumise has attracted numerous condemnations on the political scene. The convictions were added this Saturday among the Macronists and on the right, the Minister (LR) of the Interior Bruno Retailleau judging it “difficult to do more despicable”.
Faced with criticism, Insoumis leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon denounced “a new attack against LFI coming from the extreme right and slavishly taken up by the media-political officialdom”. “Rather than making films, read the text of the bill,” he said.
But the controversy also broke out on the left, with a scathing response from the first secretary of the Socialist Party Olivier Faure, also returning to the criticisms of Jean-Luc Mélenchon against the German socialist chancellor Olaf Scholz on his position towards the decision of the International Criminal Court towards Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“I regret the German position which is not mine, but at the same time I am not submitting (a text) which purely and simply repeals the offense of advocating terrorism, the definition of which only requires clarification to avoid it abuses. It is imperative to protect public freedoms but also to protect the French from fanaticism and calls for violence and hatred”, writes on X Olivier Faure.
The socialists avoid “marginalizing the defense of the Palestinians by not succumbing to provocations and by refusing to consider anti-Semitism as 'residual'”, squeaks the PS boss again, using a term used by Jean-Luc Mélenchon. And to accuse LFI of “dividing” the “peace camp” and of seeking to “electorally exploit the tragedy”.
Juliette Brossault with AFP
