François Bayrou justifies his “controversial” tweet with a Greek lesson

POLITICS – Greek salad. François Bayrou accepts his controversial message on the death of Jean-Marie Le Pen, published Tuesday January 7, a few minutes after the announcement of the death of the founder of the National Front (now RN) at 96 years old. He had greeted the “ fighter », « figure of the Fifth Republic ”, and used the word “ controversies » to evoke the sulphurous past of the patriarch of the extreme right.

A reaction which sparked strong criticism, on the left, but not only. Several elected officials have actually accused the head of government of rehabilitating, or minimizing the career of Jean-Marie Le Pen, a notorious anti-Semite, racist or homophobe, repeatedly convicted of glorifying war crimes, provoking hatred or racial discrimination. . To cite just these reasons.

But not enough to change the Prime Minister's mind, quite the contrary. To respond to these criticisms, also formulated by the CRIF (representative council of Jewish institutions in France), François Bayrou resumes his role as associate professor of classics. Asked by Liberationhe invokes the Greek roots of the word “ controversy. »

« Polemos: war »

Namely: “ Polemos: war. » Thus, continues the head of government, “to say that controversy was Le Pen's favorite weapon is the least of realities. If you read the tweet, you will understand that the confrontations on the merits were necessary”. Some would say that the relationship with the criticisms concerning him is not so obvious, since these do not relate to the bellicose character (or not) of the character, but to the qualification of a political career strewn with scandals.

Is this explanation of the text likely to convince those who see behind this expression a formula that is too laudatory for this figure of the extreme right? Not sure. Guest of Public Senate this Wednesday, January 8, the socialist deputy for Essonne Jérôme Guedj once again denounced a way “ to sweeten » the journey of the founder of the National Front.

François Bayrou's message was “mind-blowing, lunar. Jean-Marie Le Pen has around twenty convictions for contesting crimes against humanity and inciting racial hatred. He's not an altar boy.”he added. At the same time, the president of the La France insoumise group in the National Assembly Mathilde Panot drove the point home on RTL. “ He was not a great figure in French politics. Jean-Marie Le Pen is an enemy of the Republic », castigated the member of the movement founded by Jean-Luc Mélenchon.

In fact, some have had more sober reactions. Thus, Emmanuel Macron signed a press release which above all recalls the electoral journey, and the successive mandates of the one whom his supporters nicknamed the “ Menhirs ”, indicating that his “ role now falls to the judgment of history. »

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