By proposing to eliminate the offense of apologizing for terrorism, La France insoumise attracted numerous condemnations on the political spectrum, on the right, among the Macronists, but also a strong response from the PS with, in the background , the question of anti-Semitism and the conflict in the Middle East. The Minister of the Interior (LR) Bruno Retailleau, for his part, judged it “difficult to do more despicable”.
LFI deputies have 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 “freedom of expression”.
The text, tabled by Northern MP Ugo Bernalicis, wants to eliminate this offense created by a 2014 lawconsidering that in this matter “the law of July 29, 1881 dealing with facts relating to the offenses of apology for crime, apology for war crime, apology for crime against humanity” is sufficient.
“A new aggression against LFI”, believes Mélenchon
Faced with criticism, the 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 leftwith 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 with regard to the 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”, wrote Olivier Faure on X (formerly Twitter).
The socialists avoid “marginalizing the defense of the Palestinians by not succumbing to provocations and by refusing to consider anti-Semitism as 'residual'”, said the boss of the PS again, using a term used by Jean-Luc Mélenchon. And to accuse LFI of “dividing” the “peace camp” and to seek to “electorally exploit the tragedy”.
The Insoumis deny wanting to suppress this offense, but to “put it back in the right of freedom of expressionas it was before Bernard Cazeneuve gave in in 2014 to pressure from fascist networks and opened the way to a severe challenge to our fundamental freedoms”, assures Manuel Bompard, who relies on a column written in Humanity by former anti-terrorist judge Marc Trévidic.
“An insult” for Gabriel Attal
In their bill, the Insoumis asked “which democracy can still retain its name, when anti-terrorism methods are used to repress political activists, community activists, journalists or even trade unionists”.
They cited the case of the CGT leader in the North Jean-Paul Delescautsentenced to one year in prison at first instance – he appealed – for “apology of terrorism” via comments made in a leaflet supporting the Palestinians.
The LFI MP also mentioned 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”.
In a letter addressed to his socialist, environmentalist and communist counterparts, Gabriel Attal, president of the Macronist EPR group in the Assembly, called on the rest of the left to “clearly dissociate” themselves from 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 for the assassination of Samuel Paty, the proposed law of rebellious France is an insult and an indelible stain on those who carry it“, wrote 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,” said the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (Crif), which is holding its annual convention this Sunday, November 24.
“It's difficult to do more vile”, for his part, reacted the Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau, on and its group of deputies remind us that they are a movement with an anti-France ideology.
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