Many saw it as implicit sexism.
Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, criticized for his remarks during a tense exchange on Tuesday with journalist Apolline de Malherbe, said Thursday on LCI that he “regrets” having been able to offend him, while defending himself. for using a "misogynistic tone".
"If I offended someone, I very gladly regret it," said the Minister of the Interior, questioned at length by Ruth Elkrief about this exchange on the set of BFMTV.
It all started with a question from Apolline de Malherbe who asked Gérald Darmanin if the executive had not "woke up a little late", with the announcement by Emmanuel Macron of a law on internal security in the last months of the five-year term, while the figures for 2021 show an increase in attacks on people.
“Calm down Madam, it will be fine”
Gérald Darmanin had initially criticized a “very rapid and somewhat populist presentation”.
Before declaring: "No, but don't be upset, calm down Madam, it's going to be fine".
An injunction that outraged the journalist, considering that it was "not an answer" but "almost an offense".
"I beg your pardon?": the very tense exchange between Gérald Darmanin and Apolline de Malherbe pic.twitter.com/8XlHS5jzFl
— RMC (@RMCinfo) February 8, 2022
Gérald Darmanin's remarks provoked strong criticism from the opposition in the midst of the presidential campaign.
“G. Darmanin responds with inappropriate aggressiveness,” National Rally candidate Marine Le Pen wrote on Twitter on Tuesday.
Julien Bayou, the national secretary of Europe Ecologie-Les Verts, denounced a “crass sexism”, on this same platform.
The controversy was also invited to the National Assembly, the same day.
Questioned by an LR deputy, Marlène Schiappa, the Minister in charge of Citizenship, was first ironic.
"I thought we were in the National Assembly, not in the editorial staff of Télé Loisirs", she launched, taking up a pike from Darmanin.
“I thought we were on CNews.
But in fact we are of course BFM, ”he replied to Apolline de Malherbe.
"A popular expression", according to Darmanin
Then the colleague of Gérald Darmanin described as “extraordinarily comical” the criticisms of the right.
"You are 200 yelling at a young woman trying to talk to you," she said, while pointing to "the sexist remarks and inappropriate thoughts" that regularly flourish in the hemicycle.
"I did not see any lack of respect, I saw verbal jousting", assured this Thursday on LCI, Elisabeth Moreno, the Minister for Gender Equality, adding not having seen "Gérald Darmanin be sexist” and “not seen inappropriate comments” in this sequence.
“'It's going to be fine' is a popular expression.
I use it in the National Assembly”, defended the minister on Thursday, assuring that his tone “was not misogynistic”.
“It was a tense interview which prevented talking about the substance,” he continued, adding that he called Apolline de Malherbe.
“We exchanged, we must see each other next week”.
