For nearly two and a half hours, the Minister of the Interior responded to the deputies of the Law Commission. A hearing to take stock of the riots that hit the France at the end of June, after the death of Nahel, killed by the shooting of a policeman in Nanterre (Hauts-de-Seine). In his opening remarks, Gérald Darmanin acknowledged, as he had done previously, that "the loss of the life of a man, and particularly of a 17-year-old teenager, is always a tragedy".
However, "nothing justifies violence," says the minister. "What is the link between the death of this young man and the attack on 90 schools, 103 town halls, 180 police stations, gendarmerie stations, fire brigades? What is the link between the death of a young man and the extremely strong threats and physical attacks, sometimes very serious, that affected 27 elected officials? " he asks parliamentarians.
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At the heart of the discussion in particular, the Cazeneuve law adopted in February 2017, which relaxes the conditions for the use of firearms by the police during refusals to comply and is criticized by the left, the Insoumise in the lead. Gérald Darmanin is not opposed to an evaluation. This is also scheduled for the return of parliament, announced Sacha Houlié, president of the Law Commission. However, the minister refuses to consider this law as "a license to kill". "The 2017 law did not encourage police and gendarmes to shoot more," he said. On a change in the text, however, he was perplexed. "When someone doesn't respect the law, what's the point of changing it?" he asked. On the other hand, the tenant of Beauvau said he was "very favorable" to the generalization of on-board cameras for police officers, gendarmes and firefighters.
On several occasions, the strategy of La France Insoumise, which refused to call for calm, was pointed out by the deputies of the majority, the right and the extreme right. Thomas Rudigoz, of the Renaissance party, criticized "LFI politicians" who have "not ceased to throw oil on the fire".
"Delinquency is not just about a first name"
Another exchange of arms took place between the Minister of the Interior and MP Yoann Gillet (National Rally). The latter asked him for "total transparency", considering it impossible to solve the problem "as long as you try to make believe that the rioters are called Mattéo and Kévin, as long as you ignore the consequences of mass immigration that the French no longer want". To which Gérald Darmanin replied that "it would be wrong to say that 100% of the rioters were foreigners or of foreign origin". He recalled that 10% of those arrested were not of French nationality. "A Frenchman is a Frenchman. Delinquency is not just about a first name," concluded the Minister.
The hearing also allowed the first cop to France to list possible answers as lessons. On video surveillance systems, Gérald Darmanin considered them "effective", taking as proof that the first thing done "by the rioters, it was to break these cameras".
On the subject of social networks, whose role in the riots has been castigated by the government, the minister said that traditional telephone tapping "no longer brings much". "I am obviously in favor of having the law evaluated, under the conditions of supervision and respect for private freedom," he said.
Finally, on the ban on fireworks mortars, used by many rioters in front of the police, the minister said he wanted to be inspired by the regulations applied to certain pharmaceutical products, and which allows a "follow-up from production to destruction" Gérald Darmanin also announced that he wanted to lead an "initiative" with his "European colleagues". "It should have been Thursday, but you saw it, I'm not sure I'll still be interior minister on Thursday," smiled the tenant of Beauvau, in an allusion to the upcoming reshuffle.