Éric Dupond-Moretti was picked up by the general secretary of the CGT, Sophie Binet, Friday September 8, 2023. Our colleagues from South West report that the comments made by the former lawyer on civil disobedience were the source of this attack. The Minister of Justice condemned this method before the commission of inquiry of the National Assembly on Thursday September 7, 2023: “I’m fed up with this little music of civil disobedience. We know where it comes from. It is claimed”he said in pointing the finger at the parties“leftmost” as responsible for these movements. As a reminder, the Keeper of the Seals was heard in the context of the examination of the episodes of violence which occurred during the demonstrations in the spring of 2023, in particular marked by the episode of Sainte-Soline (Deux-Sèvres). The day after these declarations, the one who succeeded Philippe Martinez reacted strongly to the allegations of Éric Dupond-Moretti from Niort, a few minutes before the trial of the people at the initiative of the rallies against the mega-basins of Sainte-Soline: “Without civil disobedience, there would still be apartheid, racist laws in the United States and women still wouldn’t have the right to vote.“.
“At the origin of our main social and societal achievements”
Sophie Binet continued: “He needs to do some revision to know that civil disobedience is by nature peaceful. That it is at the origin of our main social and societal achievements.” And to continue: “There is a need to remind the Minister of Justice that freedom is not about obeying the law. It is also about acting and denouncing unjust, dangerous and scandalous laws”. In the process, the trade unionist took the opportunity to highlight the government’s assumed use of violence: “There is also a need to remind this multi-recidivist government, condemned for climate inaction, that we are not eco-terrorists. Using the repressive anti-terrorist arsenal against us is very serious”. Sophie Binet concluded her remarks categorically by affirming that“We must stop with these scandalous comparisons.”