A unanimous condemnation. By proposing to remove the offense of glorifying terrorism, La France insoumise attracted numerous criticisms on the political spectrum, Saturday November 23, 2024, on the right and among the Macronists, the Minister (LR) of the Interior Bruno Retailleau judging “difficult to do more despicable”reports theAFP. But also on the left, with the question of anti-Semitism and the conflict in the Middle East as a backdrop.
LFI deputies tabled a bill aimed at repealing the offense of advocating terrorism from the Penal Code, which according to them has accentuated “the instrumentalization of the fight against terrorism” against the “freedom of expression”. The text, tabled by the deputy of the North Ugo Bernalicis, wants to eliminate this offense created by a law of 2014, considering that in the matter sufficient “the law of July 29, 1881 dealing with facts relating to the offenses of apologizing for crime, apologizing for war crimes, apologizing for crimes against humanity”.
Olivier Faure accuses LFI of “dividing” the “peace camp”
The controversy also broke out on the left, with a scathing response from the first secretary of the Socialist Party Olivier Faure, 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 at the 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 glorifying terrorism, the definition of which only requires clarification to avoid it the drifts. It is imperative to protect public freedoms but also to protect the French from fanaticism and calls for violence and hatred”written on the social network X Olivier Faure.
Socialists avoid “to marginalize the defense of the Palestinians by not giving in to provocations and by refusing to consider anti-Semitism as “residual””squeaks the boss of the PS again, using a term used by Jean-Luc Mélenchon. And to accuse LFI of ” divide “ the “peace camp” and seek to “electorally exploit the tragedy”.
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In a letter addressed to his socialist, environmentalist and communist counterparts, Gabriel Attal, president of the Macronist EPR group in the Assembly, calls on the rest of the left to “clearly dissociate” of LFI. “I remember that it was the Republican left who proposed and voted for this text in 2014 which protected the security of the French and therefore preserved their freedom. 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”writes the former Prime Minister.
“It is an insult to the memory of the victims of all the attacks which have bloodied France. Faced with terrorism, the Republic must remain firm and united”for its part estimated the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (Crif), which is holding its annual convention on Sunday.
For LFI, an offense used “to repress” activists
Faced with criticism, Insoumis leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon denounced on “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.
In their proposed law, the Insoumis ask “what democracy can still keep its name, when anti-terrorism methods are used to repress political activists, community activists, journalists or even trade unionists”. They cite the case of CGT leader of the North Jean-Paul Delescaut, sentenced to one year of suspended prison sentence at first instance – he appealed – for “apology of terrorism” via remarks made in a leaflet supporting the Palestinians.
Read also: A 13-year-old boy arrested and indicted for advocating terrorism in Meurthe-et-Moselle
Ugo Bernalicis also mentions his group president, Mathilde Panot, and LFI MEP Rima Hassan, interviewed last April by the Parisian judicial police as part of investigations for “apology of terrorism”. Mathilde Panot was heard about the press release published by her group on October 7, 2023, in which the Hamas attack in Israel was described as “an armed offensive by Palestinian forces” in a “context of intensification of the Israeli occupation policy” of Palestinian territories.
