Manon Fossat
modified to
8:53 a.m., February 15, 2022
On Europe Matin on Tuesday, the president of Hauts-de-France Xavier Bertrand returned to Valérie Pécresse’s meeting on Sunday in Paris and to the “great replacement” addressed by the candidate. He assured that the latter put things back in place on Monday by defending himself from endorsing this theory, a pillar of Eric Zemmour’s program.
Valérie Pécresse defended herself on Monday from endorsing the conspiracy theory of the “great replacement”, pillar of the program of her far-right rival Eric Zemmour and mentioned during her meeting in Paris on Sunday. Invited to Europe Matin on Tuesday, the president of Hauts-de-France Xavier Bertrand returned to the remarks of the candidate for the presidential election, and wanted to clarify things.
“It is not a reality and it will not be the case. The proactive policy that Valérie Pécresse wants to lead is both to defend republican values and to take back our destiny and our migration policy in our own hands”, a-t- he rocks. “In terms of immigration, you have on the one hand the extremists who very often talk nonsense and play on fears. And on the other the lax people, who are in power today. Then you have those who want act effectively, and that’s what Valérie Pécresse wants to do”. According to him, the president of Ile-de-France wishes to propose measures so that it is not France which adapts to the needs of immigration, but immigration which adapts to the needs of France.
“I want Valérie Pécresse to be herself”
He also assured that it will not be “a candidate of synthesis” who will win the presidential election, but a candidate of conviction. “She is a free woman who can listen to different opinions but gives her convictions […] And we are at the antipodes of the extremists who seek to scare,” he continued.
“The opinion of Eric Ciotti, my opinion, counts less than the opinion of Valérie Pécresse. She is the candidate”, again posed the president of Hauts-de-France. “And I wish, for her to win this election, that she be herself. There is a lot of criticism but she is solid”. According to him, Valérie Pécresse was precisely herself on Sunday during her meeting in Paris. “Basically, she made a speech that clearly shows her personality and her difference from Emmanuel Macron: she is a courageous and committed woman. ‘New France’ is a real project that allows confrontation between some And the others.”