Article 24 of the “Global Security” law, which is the source of a political crisis in the government and in the majority which has undertaken to rewrite it in its entirety, will not be recycled in the bill against separatism, said Gerald Darmanin in Le Journal du Dimanche.
Read also: Precariousness and the “Global Security” law: more than 50,000 demonstrators across France
Faced with the outcry provoked by this article 24, which plans to punish the “
malicious
” use of images of the police, the idea was raised of replacing it with another provision contained in the bill “
reinforcing republican principles
”.
This text, presented on Wednesday in the Council of Ministers, provides for a measure which takes up the spirit of Article 24, extended to all civil servants.
According to its current wording, article 25 of the bill thus aims to punish 5 years in prison and a fine of 75,000 euros for “
revealing, disseminating or transmitting
” maliciously “
information relating to private life, family or professional person making it possible to identify or locate him
”when the victim is entrusted with a public service mission or custodian of public authority, such as a police officer or a gendarme.
"
This will not be the government's proposal
," Gérald Darmanin told JDD.
“
Being a policeman or a gendarme is very special.
We must continue to specifically protect the police,
”added the Minister of the Interior.
Chief
While the text must pass before the Senate in January before returning to the Assembly, where the majority has promised a "
total rewriting
" of article 24 criticized by his opponents for its attack on the freedom to inform, the minister ensures "
leave to Parliament
" the care of finding the new wording.
Forced to back down on a provision long demanded by the unions and which he ardently defended, Gérald Darmanin affirms that he "
does not have the impression of having lost his hand
".
“
Me, I take blows for the police and the gendarmes.
I am proud to be a leader who defends his troops, who does not go away like a flock of sparrows when there is a problem,
”he added.