La France insoumise has nominated for the legislative elections the deputy from the North Adrien Quatennens, convicted of domestic violence, while dismissing several figures who have expressed criticism against the party’s leadership. Several personalities at LFI denounce a “purge”.
New twist in the campaign, this time on the left. If the deputy from the North Adrien Quatennens, convicted of domestic violence, was invested Friday June 14 by La France insoumise for the legislative elections, historical figures of the party like Alexis Corbière, Raquel Garrido and Danielle Simonnet were not reappointed.
The case of Adrien Quatennens, outgoing deputy for the 1st constituency of the North, was debated among LFI’s partners after his conviction in December 2022 to four months’ suspended imprisonment for domestic violence.
But this loyalist of the leader of the Insoumis Jean-Luc Mélenchon appears in the list of 230 investitures provided by his party, a few hours after the conclusion of an agreement on the left, in particular with the Socialist Party, EELV or the PCF, with a view to the election of June 30 and July 7.
“To all those who oppose or doubt the relevance of my candidacy, know that I understand you. I hope to be able, humbly, and through my actions, to regain your trust,” responded Adrien Quatennens in a press release.
“Crime of lèse-Mélenchon”
On the other hand, Danielle Simonnet, elected in Paris, as well as Raquel Garrido and Alexis Corbière, deputies from Seine-Saint-Denis, who embody discordant voices within LFI, were excluded. The three expressed their surprise Friday evening.
“An obscure LFI electoral commission decided not to nominate me as a candidate. A punishment for having voiced internal criticism. Shame”, wrote Alexis Corbière on X, saying he was “obviously still a candidate”.
His partner Raquel Garrido also deplored on the social network “Shame on you Jean-Luc Mélenchon. It’s sabotage. But I will do better. We will do better,” she wrote again to Jean-Luc Mélenchon, denouncing “disgusting methods”.
Last fall, Raquel Garrido was sanctioned for four months by LFI for openly criticizing several members of the movement and Jean-Luc Mélenchon, around governance or the party’s strategy.
As for Danielle Simonnet, she strongly regretted “a purge of deputies committed to unity”.
“While I once again brought together hundreds of citizens in my constituency this evening, by email, like four other comrades and without even a phone call, I learned that I am not invested,” she said. still indignant on the social network.
“You prefer a man who hits his wife”
The LFI deputy François Ruffin was also moved by the fate of his colleagues: “I have not come under the caudine forks of your stupidity, your sectarianism. You prefer a man who hits his wife, author of domestic violence, to comrades who have the impudence to have a disagreement with the great leader. Our democracy deserves better than you.
Candidate for the New Popular Union in Seine-Saint-Denis, Clémentine Autain, for her part, denounced a “purge”. “The extreme right is at the gates of power, an unprecedented gathering has just been formed on the left, and LFI has decided to fracture our movement and weaken the gathering,” she protested on X.
Two other outgoing LFI deputies, Hendrik Davi (Bouches-du-Rhône) and Frédéric Mathieu (Ille-et-Vilaine), were also not invested. Hendrik Davi spoke of a lack of “decency” in this decision.
