Élisabeth Borne accused this Tuesday the National Rally of “fueling controversies” and of not voting or of voting “against” anti-terrorism measures, after the fatal knife attack on Saturday in Paris, which put the executive under pressure. pressure in the face of the jihadist threat. “When France is affected, there are those who act with responsibility. And then, there are you and your party who, once again, are rushing with the sole aim of fueling controversies,” said the Prime Minister in the National Assembly, in response to a question from Marine Le Pen, leader of RN deputies.
“We are taking action. You are arguing”
The RN “systematically opposed measures to strengthen the protection of the French” and “to strengthen our fight against terrorism”, added Élisabeth Borne. The head of government wondered “where was” the RN in 2017 “during the vote on the law strengthening internal security and the fight against terrorism”, which the far-right deputies “did not vote for”. They also “did not vote” in 2021 for the creation of a “separatism offense” and voted “against” the creation in 2019 of a national anti-terrorism prosecution, she listed.
“We are acting. You are arguing. We are taking action. You are in position. Your votes speak for themselves,” she concluded. “It’s you that I question,” launched Marine Le Pen to the Prime Minister whom she accused of “evading” the attacks, which in her eyes “is not responsible” . The far-right leader was then described as a “liar” by the leader of the rebellious deputies Mathilde Panot.
In response to a question from the president of the Les Républicains deputies Olivier Marleix, Élisabeth Borne recalled that the government had “strengthened (its) anti-terrorism arsenal” and that it was considering “completing” it. “We will have to debate it, we are in the process of examining it,” she said. The custody of Franco-Iranian Armand Rajabpour-Miyandoab continued on Tuesday, three days after the fatal knife attack in Paris near the Eiffel Tower. Before his act, the attacker had pledged allegiance in a video to the Islamic State group.