The link made by the boss of Renaissance between the onslaught of supporters of Jair Bolsonaro and La France insoumise has tensed Jean-Luc Mélenchon and his relatives. The response of the former presidential candidate has further increased the tension between the two camps.
A pass of arms very far from the pension reform, unveiled on Tuesday but which shows that Macronie and La France insoumise are determined to cross swords. It all started this Monday morning with an interview with Stéphane Séjourné, the boss of Renaissance.
The MEP speaks hours after several official buildings in Brasilia were stormed by pro-Bolsonaro protests to prevent his successor Lula from coming to power.
“There are temptations to question political legitimacy, we saw it in 2017, in 2022. Systematically, we have great debates on ‘did you win the elections?'”, denounces on Public Senate Stéphane Séjourné, who chairs the Renew Europe group in Brussels.
“The far right invades the presidential palace, Séjourné watches LFI”
The MEP refers in particular to the words of Jean-Luc Mélenchon who had qualified on the evening of the second round of the presidential election of 2022 Emmanuel Macron as “the worst elected of the presidents of the 5th Republic”. The tenant of the Élysée had been re-elected with a strong abstention (28.01%) and many voters who chose to vote blank or null (6.19%).
It was Manuel Bompard, the new LFI coordinator, who answered him first.
“When the Brazilian far right invades the presidential palace, Stéphane Sejourné looks at France Insoumise. Shameful”, reacts on Twitter this very close to the founder of the insoumis.
Mélenchon evokes “the factious police officers who attacked the headquarters of LFI”
The former LFI candidate for the race for the Élysée hardly tasted the parallel between the supporters of Joan Bolsonaro and himself, denouncing on his Twitter account a “shameful comparison”, a few hours after the support of his lieutenant .
“When the factious police attacked our headquarters in 2017, the macronie had nothing to say”, then advances the septuagenarian on the social network in the afternoon.
The words of the former LFI deputy who now heads the La Boétie institute directly target the search of the headquarters of his movement 6 years ago.
“You are not Benalla. You are Republican police officers. The Republic is me”, then launched Jean-Luc Mélenchon to the police stationed in front of the entrance to the premises of his party, accusing the police of a “political coup”.
“Mélenchon, a little Christmas Le Graët de la Nupes”
Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s tweet did not please Stéphane Séjourné who denounced “another slippage”.
“After ‘the police kill’, the ‘factious police officers’. Jean-Luc Mélenchon is a bit like Noël Le Graët of the NUPES. The only difference: he never apologizes. Unwavering support for our law enforcement”, the boss of Renaissance answers him again.
In his response, the European elected representative mixes two events: first the apologies of the boss of the French football federation Noël Le Graët. After indicating Sunday on RMC “have nothing to shake” from the professional future of Zinédine Zidane, the boss of French football has finally backpedaled.
“He will therefore continue to insult the police of the Republic, as in 2022”
The macronist also refers to the words of the former boss of LFI during the legislative campaign last June. “The police kill”, had judged Jean-Luc Mélenchon, criticizing a “disproportionate use” of force by the police after the death of a young woman in Paris during a refusal to comply.
Gérald Darmanin’s response to Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s tweet was not long in coming.
“The ‘factious police officers’? Remember that they act under the authority of the magistrates. In 2023, Mr. Mélenchon will therefore continue to insult the police of the Republic as in 2022”, criticizes the Minister of the Interior on his Twitter account .
“We say it, repeat it and make no apologies”
Bastien Lachaud, one of very close to Jean-Luc Mélenchon, remained straight in his boots and defended the founder of the movement.
“Factious, yes: When police unions threaten a political party because they do not accept criticism”, replies the LFI deputy for Seine-Saint-Denis on his Twitter account. Before saying “we say it, repeat it, and make no apologies”.
Such exchanges bode well for a very tense atmosphere between the two parties in the coming days. While Elisabeth Borne will unveil the contours of the pension reform at the end of the day on Tuesday, Mathilde Panot, the president of the rebellious group in the National Assembly has already promised to “make her beat a retreat”.
