National Rally MEP Thierry Mariani was the target of left-wing candidates on Thursday during the first televised debate ahead of the European elections, accused in particular of being the "Kremlin's little telegraph operator" by Raphaël Glucksmann, head of the Socialist list.
The far-right party was the only one not to send its head of list, Jordan Bardella, to this eight-party exchange on Public Senate.
He was represented by Thierry Mariani, known to be close to Moscow.
The most virulent against him, Raphaël Glucksmann said he “hesitated” to come on set to “face the little telegraph operator from the Kremlin”.
The candidate of France insoumise Manon Aubry also felt that it would have been necessary to leave “an empty chair” for the RN, while that of the Ecologists, Marie Toussaint, added by affirming that Thierry Mariani had been “almost an agent of the Kremlin on European territory.
Read alsoEuropeans: Thierry Mariani, asset of the RN or weight in Jordan Bardella's campaign?
Before questioning him about his relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“They are certainly less frequent than those of Mr. Macron,” he replied, referring to the dialogue maintained by the French president with his counterpart, including at the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The leader of the presidential majority Valérie Hayer has remained in the background on this subject while Emmanuel Macron's camp has sharply attacked the RN on Russia since the start of his campaign.
The communist Léon Deffontaines scores points
On the other hand, she defended the new posture of the President of the Republic, who affirms that a sending of soldiers to Ukraine should not be excluded in the future.
“It is for Vladimir Putin that we must set red lines”, not “for ourselves”, insisted Valérie Hayer.
On the two other major themes of the debate, agriculture and immigration, everyone expressed their positions, sometimes in cacophony.
Quite comfortable although unknown to the general public, the communist Léon Deffontaines played the card of his youth.
“I'm 27 years old, I'm scared.
This is my first debate.
I am appalled to see that from the start we have been insulting each other, calling each other names,” he said.
The Reconquest candidate!
Marion Maréchal estimated that Europe had “completely lost control over immigration” and called for the establishment of a “military naval blockade”.
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Like her, Thierry Mariani denounced the policy pursued by the presidential camp, while the head of the Republican list François-Xavier Bellamy recalled the shared initiative referendum presented by his party in France on immigration, because there is “urgency to act”.
“After these 50 shades of the extreme right,” we need to “put back a little humanity,” quipped Manon Aubry.