On July 4, at 3 p.m., the President of the National Assembly, Yaël Braun-Pivet, began the session of questions to the government with a tribute to Léon Gautier. While the portrait of the last French survivor of the Landings, who died the day before, appears on the screens behind her, the few deputies present and the ministers rise and solemnly observe a minute of silence. A moment that contrasts with the heated debates that took place three weeks earlier, on the advisability of paying tribute to the hundreds of dead migrants drowned off the Greek coast in the worst shipwreck since 2016.
The question was raised on June 20, a week after the tragedy, by the deputy La France insoumise (LFI) Aymeric Caron. Spontaneously, the members of the Nupes stood up, as well as some members of the government, including Elisabeth Borne, while, on the benches of the group Les Républicains (LR), deputies protested. “You don’t have to do this!” It’s your role, Madam President! », launches an elected LR.
While acknowledging that “the idea is great” Yaël Braun-Pivet finally refuses the request of the “rebellious”. “I’m sorry, but you should know that we don’t organize a minute of silence in this way”, she justifies. A decision “subjective” in the eyes of Aymeric Caron: “When she makes this regulatory argument, I am shocked by her refusal. For me, she does it only because this request comes from La France insoumise. » The parliamentarian recalls that the President of the Assembly had acceded, in the same circumstances, to the request of Sandrine Rousseau (EELV) to observe a minute of silence for a tax officer killed in the exercise of his functions, in November 2022.
A reminder of habits and customs
A week after the incident, a note was sent to the group presidents to remind them of the practices. The document states that “respect for a minute of silence must result either from an initiative of the President of the National Assembly, or from a decision of the Conference of Presidents”, the body composed of deputies having functions at the presidency of the Assembly, in committee or in the political groups, responsible for setting the agenda. If Yaël Braun-Pivet wanted a reminder of habits and customs, it is because there are no clear rules on this subject. At the presidency of the Assembly, we justify ourselves: “The minutes of silence must be mentioned in a collective instance so as not to make something political that requires maintaining serenity and allowing moments of consensus. »
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