"
You have to keep your cool
", recalled this Monday morning the candidate of the Republicans, Valérie Pécresse, on France Inter, vis-à-vis the violence that punctuated the first campaign meeting of Eric Zemmour this Sunday in Villepinte (Seine-Saint-Denis).
"
I am for the freedom of expression of all those who do not think like me
", underlines the president LR of Île-de-France, for whom "
the provocations in the meetings exist, it is never pleasant, but you have to know how to live them calmly and ban violence from meetings
”.
The Ile-de-France also judges that "
the extreme left can be ultra-violent in a meeting
", which she has already "
experienced personally
".
To discover
Presidential 2022: where are the candidates in the polls?
Read also Valérie Pécresse launches the battle against Emmanuel Macron
During Éric Zemmour's meeting, an action organized by SOS Racisme quickly went wrong.
At the start of the nationalist's speech, around ten members of the association stood up at the back of the room in a row, each wearing a black sweater with a letter in yellow, allowing the message “
No to racism
”
to be displayed
.
The latter were then violently attacked by participants of the rally, who hit them and threw seats in their direction.
At least two people were injured.
A sympathizer of Eric Zemmour was also filmed violently beating an activist.
Read also Presidential 2022: Eric Zemmour puts on the clothes of a candidate
Reacting on France Info, the LR president of the Senate, Gérard Larcher, believes that "
all violence is unacceptable
", and recalls that "
the right to demonstrate is essential
".
However, he warns that "
provocation in a meeting can encourage this
", and underlines "
the risk coefficient
" represented by large electoral meetings.
The President of the Upper House also denounces a form of violence in the very speech of Eric Zemmour, vis-à-vis Emmanuel Macron and the media, and considers that "
violence in a democracy is a sign immaturity
”.
Eric Ciotti, unsuccessful candidate for the nomination of the Republicans, for his part preferred to insist on "
the aggression of Eric Zemmour in full meeting
", judging it "
unacceptable
".
Seized by the neck by a man when he was cutting through the crowd to join the stage, the candidate was indeed injured in the wrist, which earned him nine days of ITT.
For the LR deputy from Alpes-Maritimes, "
the absence of condemnation from the government is outrageous and worrying
" and "
we have a duty to fight so that all ideas can be expressed
".
Unambiguous condemnations on the left
The president of the LREM group in the National Assembly, Christophe Castaner, for his part judged at the microphone of Europe 1 that "
the political debate must be resolved in the debate, and not in violence
". The macronist "
condemns this violence
", and regrets "
that we refuse ideas that are different from ours
". The former Minister of the Interior also denounces "
all the violence that has been brought
" against the candidate. “
Eric Zemmour must be able to hold his meetings. The political debate must take place in the arena. Even the violence of his words cannot justify this,
”adds Christophe Castaner.
On the left, the condemnations of this violence are unequivocal.
Sunday evening, Anne Hidalgo wrote on Twitter that “
France is not racism
”
.
"
Peaceful activists beaten up, insults towards the media: I strongly condemn this unbearable violence which has no place in our Republic.
Total support for journalists and militants attacked,
”she lamented.
Read also Anne Hidalgo: "Budgetary orthodoxy has lived in Europe"
The candidate of environmentalists, Yannick Jadot, for his part considered that we "
always recognize the extreme right in its way of attacking journalists and humanist activists
", denouncing at the same time a "
physical brutality as an extension hate speech
”.
The socialist senator from Paris, David Assouline, for his part asserts that "
the authors and those responsible for acts of fascist violence against the peaceful activists of SOS Racism must be identified and brought to justice
".
