Jean-Luc Mélenchon drew a parallel between the president of the University of Lille and the Nazi criminal Adolf Eichmann. This controversial comparison came after the cancellation of a conference on Gaza which was to be held the same day in the university's premises.
The Chief Rebel clarified his thoughts on Friday on BFMTV, deploring "the inculture of our time" and called for sanctions against the prefect of the North, denouncing "an abuse of power.' The minister responsible for equality between women and men and the fight against discrimination, Aurore Bergé, condemned the comparison as "unbearable' and "incomprehensible.' The third man in the last presidential election also called for a boycott of the Lille University of Arts and Crafts festival, which was due to take place the next day on the university's premises. "I have a sense of history, I know it well, in any case, more than those who tell me criticize," he said.