There are three lines in his speech of December 31. “I see too many divisions in the name of origins, religions, interests. I will fight with determination against the forces that undermine national unity and in the coming weeks I will make new decisions on this subject, "said Emmanuel Macron, when wishing the French. What does this allusive statement mean?
"He confirmed that he would have a say on the fight against communitarianism," decrypts a ministerial adviser. Not to be confused with a discourse on secularism, a theme on which the Head of State is also expected. In the aftermath of his speech at the Congress of Mayors in December, followed by the sending of a circular from the Ministry of the Interior on "the fight against Islamism and the withdrawal of the community" to the prefects, a plan including measures prevention and fight against communitarianism, sweeping the different ministerial fields, is on the job. The head of state, who is said to have "consulted a lot", should most likely present it before the municipal elections, even if this calendar is not set in stone.
Behind the scenes, we work. The ministers concerned have, according to a government source, in mind "to give him a clear copy by the end of January". In December, Christophe Castaner (Interior) and his secretary of state Laurent Nuñez, thus brought together in interministerial their colleagues in charge of National Education, Justice and City Policy. Objective: find the means to fight against dropout, be more offensive in terms of criminal offenses and disturbances of public order, and finally ensure social mix and the presence of public services. “All the levers must be activated. We need to go further, act more deeply, embrace the problem more broadly, ”we argue at the Ministry of the Interior.
"Do not let the right take hold of the subject"
The Minister of Local Authorities, Sébastien Lecornu, works on how to prevent mayors from carrying out communitarian policies, once elected, around three axes: "organization of public services, police powers of the mayor, financing of associations ”, and on“ control by the prefects of the legality of the measures taken by an elected official ”.
This subject, says a government adviser, "the president wants to carry him." Why, then even within the majority, some admit that "this is not the main concern of the French"? "This refers to the French identity, to the unity of the nation", justifies a ministerial adviser. While the majority tear themselves apart on these questions, it is also, of course, about preparing for the next steps. Evidenced by the regal tone given purposely by Macron upon his return, notably by the firmness of his speech on immigration, but passed under the radar because of a record strike against his pension reform.
“Cynically, we must not let the right take over the subject. The president must be able to have proposals against Xavier Bertrand, Valérie Pécresse, Bruno Retailleau. And in the event of a duel with Marine Le Pen, these subjects will be in the public debate ", observes an elected LREM, for whom, no doubt," Macron wants to reinforce this dimension with a view to 2022 ". "The president wants to be able to make somewhat concrete announcements on communitarianism, with the municipal councils arriving," believes an LREM member familiar with the matter, when another coward: "there is no shadow of a doubt" . In the corridors of the government, some evoke "a global plan", presented before the municipal elections.