The tone quickly rose a notch in the hemicycle of the National Assembly. Particularly heated exchanges took place on Wednesday during a session devoted to the recent ban on UNRWA activities in Israel. LFI deputy Thomas Portes violently attacked the elected representative of the National Rally (RN), Philippe Lottiaux, according to the written report of the session and videos shared on social networks. The scene took place on Wednesday during a speech by the MP for France Insoumise (LFI), Nathalie Oziol.
Reactions multiply in the hemicycle when she mentions the ban on UNRWA activities by Israel, judging that “France cannot tolerate international law being trampled on in this way”. Several RN elected officials immediately reacted, according to the report of the session available online. “They are hand in hand with Hamas! » then comments Julien Odoul. “They are your friends, the terrorists! », agrees Philippe Lottiaux. Words that do not go unnoticed.
Immediately, Thomas Portes reacted, violently attacking this elected representative of the National Rally. “Shut up, you!” We’ll take care of you,” “Go ahead and get out!” » or even “We're going to explain ourselves outside, you'll see. We’re going to go outside,” reports the session report. Video clips of the sequence were also shared on social networks.
In the process, several far-right elected officials, such as MEP Matthieu Valet, reacted on social networks, condemning these “threats of violence”. “This LFI deputy for unworthy France, soils the French scarf by threatening them with violence,” he lambasted on X.
Thomas Portes had already been at the heart of several controversies. Last July, the elected official from Seine-Saint-Denis condemned the participation of the Israeli delegation in the Olympic Games, calling for mobilization in this direction. Comments which outraged part of the political class and Jewish organizations in France.
At the start of 2023, in the middle of the debate around pension reform, Thomas Portes was also excluded from the National Assembly for 15 days after broadcasting a photo showing him with his foot on a balloon bearing the image of Olivier Dussopt, the Minister of Work of the time.
