At 38, he won his third mandate as a deputy last July. Sharp, Fabien Di Filippo is one of the voices of the Republican right in the department and beyond. Very attached to Sarrebourg, his territory, he does not hide his ambition to lead the commune later, when his parliamentary adventure is over.
What definition would you give of the politician you are today?
Fabien Di Filippo “I think I am at an important moment in my political career, because I have experience of the functioning of institutions that I did not have seven years ago which allows me to ask more about the course of things and at the same time , I have always managed, even in difficult situations, to remain faithful to the values that have always been mine. It's paradoxical. We have the most difficult situation we have experienced in a long time but on a personal level, I feel very useful and I feel a form of maturity in my parliamentary activity, in my ability to influence things, to be clear-sighted in important debates. »
What values do you evoke?
“The first, the one that I always put above everything, is work and the fact that, in life, we build nothing without work, whatever that work may be. The second is that, I believe that, in our individualized society, there is something greater than us which gives meaning to all of this: the Republic, the Nation. And in this Nation, the role of each is essential, the contribution, the duty of each are essential. I am also someone who is very attached to a territory that I defend tooth and nail. Grounding is something very important to me. The sense of family too, of course. When you come home and a three-year-old hands you a broken toy, you leave all the worries behind and fix it. Family protects you from many things in today's political world. These are the four cardinal points of my political commitment. Things for which I do not negotiate my votes or my commitments. »
“We can only accommodate the number of people we are able to integrate. »
Fabien Di Filippo
You were born and grew up in Sarrebourg. Since you have been an MP, how has your view of your territory changed?
“He has evolved a lot. The fourth constituency of Moselle is one of the largest in France with 261 municipalities. It is a territory which has its own identity which echoes my values. You have a dialect-speaking part, another which is not at all, you have peri-urban territories, and an extremely deep rurality. It takes a certain amount of time to grasp this complexity, which is also what makes it interesting. The commitment I had at home, I couldn't have anywhere else. I have always said one thing: I would never accept a mandate that would force me to leave the Sarrebourg municipal council. I know how much I owe to the people of my city. For me, this is the starting point, the basis of commitment. I don't see politics any other way. If tomorrow we switched to proportional list ballots, that would not interest me at all. We would lose the connection with people. I have never had the privilege of having a political wave that carries me. If I am in this place, it is thanks to this link with the territory which goes beyond politics. »
Is it thanks to this anchoring that you have been almost unshakable in your constituency for seven years?
“It was never easy. To win this time, it took 5,000 more votes than has ever been done. I wouldn't say indestructible, no one is indestructible. But this is what allowed me to reverse strong national trends. »
Without you, would the National Rally have won?
“Yes and certainly from the first round. »
How do you explain the rise of the far right on your land?
“The feeling of abandonment of rural territories with metropolises which continue to develop and places in rural areas where the Republic is fading: this is the first key factor, the second is more political. Emmanuel Macron has only succeeded in one thing: turning the political field into a field of ruins. People no longer have points of reference. The only legible diagrams are at the extremes. Despite the weakness of their program, they embody a clear alternative for people. »
Do you consider the RN as an enemy, a possible partner?
“He’s an adversary. In 2022, I asked all parties to put an opponent against me; both victories and defeats must be clear. On many aspects, I still see the extreme right and the extreme left mixing their voices. Of course what the RN says echoes certain problems in the country but does it have the capacity to change things, to move away from a scapegoat strategy and provide clear-cut solutions to change the country? I don't believe it at all. »
You are still a member of the Republican right. Have you asked yourself the question of leaving the LR?
“I have always stayed in my political family. Once we put individual betrayals aside, I don't see a political family that better upholds the political values that are mine. It is certain that this party will disappear, but the Republican right will not disappear. We will have to rebuild a large right-wing party. We have never embodied anger and rejection, we must embody hope. This is the meaning of our commitment. The party can no longer be the one we knew, too marked by betrayals and failures. We must be able to make a clean slate with the past, the authorities, to be more in tune with society. It doesn't just have to be top-down or pyramidal. When we rebuild the Republican right, only one thing will no longer be negotiable: the values which must be pure. Methods of meetings and engagement must evolve. »
“The only ambition I have always had is to be mayor of Sarrebourg. »
Fabien Di Filippo
What spectrum for this right?
“The one that was always his.” The lesson of 2024 is the end of the Macronist, his failure. This current which thought to be central in French political life, this river will return to its bed. I hope that we will find a right-left divide. And there you can clearly see what our place is: between the left and the National Rally. »
What do you think of the Barnier government?
“I really wish him success given the situation he inherited. When I see the heterogeneity of government, I remain vigilant. There are excellent ministers like Bruno Retailleau, Patrick Hetzel, who have a very clear vision of things and certain ministers who have not understood that we have changed times, that they are no longer there to defend a assessment but to carry a new policy. It’s our role to say that it can’t work like that. »
You will not hesitate to hit this government?
“I've already had a vigorous exchange about increasing state medical aid. I have always been a free spirit who tries to remain as free as possible and not be seduced by proximity to power. »
Do you still feel as punchy as was said about you when you were elected MP in 2017?
“We evolve over time. I still have this ability to have an impact on a subject even if I no longer jump on every subject like I did back then. When it is necessary to intervene, I think I manage to do it with the same force. I always feel at ease regardless of the violence or difficulty of the subject. I have always had to assert myself in confrontation. »
You like it, right?
“I love it, it’s in these decisive moments of confrontation where I have the opportunity to take a minister to task in front of the whole of France, that’s when I feel most like myself. »
“In sport I encounter a part of myself and my limits that I cannot touch otherwise. »
Fabien Di Filippo
What atmosphere is there in the National Assembly?
“The only majority is when the two extreme groups vote together. You have a hemicycle which has never been so fragmented. Every day can be a different story, leading to different results. Finding your way in such a configuration requires a little perspective, maturity, and a lot of perseverance. »
What are the struggles of your mandate?
“The end of state medical aid. This does not mean that we reject others, but if we want to see the country recover, it is essential to put benchmarks back in their right place, particularly regarding respect for laws and everyone's work. On all this, there can be no half-measures. The revaluation of work is another subject. All issues require better recognition of work. If we make relatively difficult choices in social spending, that will allow us to take less from gross salaries and restore a taste for work. If I joined the social affairs committee, it is to work on these issues, it is to put an end to welfare. »
What are your positions on immigration?
“I can’t say zero immigration. My grandfather came from Italy and made his career in the steel industry, my adoptive father is also a foreigner. The story of my family is the story of people who came to France to work, who integrated. No one has ever said to me “Fabien you are Italian, they always told me that I was French”. In France, we have places where 95% of the population is foreign. The easiest thing is to find yourself with people who think like you. So the community takes precedence over the Republic. It's something dangerous. We have clandestinity which is taking up more and more space. People who have no future prospects in France. We must manage to curb these phenomena. We can only accommodate the number of people we are able to integrate. Clandestineness, we can no longer accept that. We must ensure that tomorrow there are no more illegal entries into our territory and that people who do not obtain authorization to stay there return to their country. »
Have you been contacted to be a minister?
“I am very attached to my territory, a young father. I think I will be more useful as a puncher in the National Assembly than elsewhere. I never had the political ambition of being a minister. Being elected happened earlier than expected. The only ambition I have always had is to be mayor of Sarrebourg. Like Pierre Messmer and Alain Marty, wow! For the moment I have never been able to be. If you ask me if I'm frustrated not to be a minister, not in the least, but if there is something I would like to achieve in my political life it is to be mayor of my city. I was an MP at a very young age, whereas for many of my colleagues, it is the culmination of a political career. Above all, you should not plan ahead and give yourself deadlines. The rest, people decide for us. I keep the desire deep inside me, when the time comes it will happen by itself. »
How do you feel about the media exercise?
“It’s part of the job. It's not the hardest thing we have to do. I never tried to show myself as anything other than what I was. People can say, he's tough, his positions are abrupt but he doesn't try to change. When it comes to media, reality always catches up with us. »
What is the place of sport in your life?
“I have always needed sport in my life, it is an essential balance. There are many problems that eventually resolve themselves after high-intensity exercise. I need that in addition to politics to express a competitive temperament. In sport I encounter a part of myself and my limits that I cannot touch otherwise. »
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