Revise or not the title of the bill on separatism?
That is the question.
Four days after the great speech of Emmanuel Macron at Mureaux (Yvelines), discussions on the name that this major text of the five-year term will bear continue to stir the spirits at the top of the State.
Proof, if any, that on such a flammable subject, the executive intends to weigh every word with a trebuchet.
"We do not want to be locked into a semantic debate, but we can see that the slightest term used will be a pretext for comment", fears a minister who develops his point: "If we keep the term separatism, some will say that we stigmatize Muslims.
If we suppress it, we will be put on trial for naivety or angelism.
It is endless.
Another example: should we speak of Islam in France or of Islam in France?
"
Last Friday during his speech at Les Mureaux, the Head of State has nevertheless already decided on one of the aspects.
He left the ambiguity on the use or not of the plural for the word separatism, which would have allowed him to encompass different forms of extremism, including Catholic or sectarian.
In the end, Macron opted for the singular, targeting a clearly identified enemy, radical Islam.
Will the term separatism still be retained in the title of the future text presented on December 9 in the Council of Ministers?
Tuesday morning, Gérald Darmanin lifted part of the mystery, by evoking a “bill strengthening secularism and republican principles”.
Entitled that he took over a few moments later by sending all the deputies a note of four pages, titled "Political project of the bill aimed at strengthening secularism and consolidating republican principles".
Not "separatism", therefore, in its title.
"But there is nothing definitive, it can move until the last day", warns a ministerial adviser.
As proof, several working meetings devoted to drafting the bill were held recently at the Ministry of the Interior.
With each time, a round table to think about the choice of the words which should appear in the title.
Interview between Marine Le Pen and Gérald Darmanin
The political landing of this bill is therefore far from being an easy task for the majority.
As shown by the particularly violent passing of arms between Gérald Darmanin and Alexis Corbière (LFI) this Tuesday in the hemicycle.
"You bypass the social and health problems that are tearing our country apart by saturating opinion with an obsessive question: Islam, Islam, Islam", attacked the rebellious deputy.
The minister's tac-au-tac response: “I cannot understand why a party like yours, which for a long time denounced the opium of the people, is now linked with an Islamo-leftism which is destroying the Republic.
"
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"Islamist separatism": in the majority, the specter of a division
In the morning, it was with Marine Le Pen that Darmanin spoke in Beauvau as part of his current consultations with the party leaders.
More than an hour and a half of discussion, in the presence of Senator RN from Marseille Stéphane Ravier.
If she welcomed a bill that presents "effective" and "extremely firm" measures, the 2022 presidential candidate - who gave the minister a note of 7 to 8 pages - also lamented during this meeting " that the text does not speak enough about immigration ”.
"We feel that Darmanin has a real taboo: it is massive immigration that feeds communitarianism", tackle Ravier.
“This is not the subject.
We are not talking about the economy either, "swept the minister in front of the two representatives of the RN.
Just as he evacuated Le Pen's proposal to expel all S files: "The files are not all foreigners, and not all are for questions of radicalism", he opposed.
