Government spokesperson Olivier Véran, visiting Friday in Fréjus, a town managed by the National Rally, said he had received insults and death threats after saying that the far-right party had “no place” in the march against anti-Semitism. “I spoke about the RN two days ago, I announced that I was coming here, and since then I have received 10,000 insulting tweets and more than 20 death threats. This is unacceptable,” explained Olivier Véran.
He was speaking during a debate with high school students on Europe and answered a student’s question about the difficulties for politicians to make decisions on a daily basis that may displease. On Wednesday, the minister declared that the RN had “no place” in the march against anti-Semitism on Sunday. Those around him confirmed that this level of reaction on social networks was exceptional.
“He plays the Calimero, but he spends his time insulting us”
“It’s the hospital that doesn’t care about charity,” reacted RN MP Julie Lechanteux, while condemning the death threats. “He plays the Calimero, but he spends his time insulting us, insulting us.” After visiting several other municipalities run by the extreme right, Olivier Véran, accompanied by the Secretary of State for Europe, Laurence Boone, visited the CHU in Fréjus, a middle school and a high school having benefited from European funds. “Europe finances a lot of structures and projects,” recalled Laurence Boone. “If we don’t show this, if we don’t go and see it, people no longer know why to vote and where their money is going,” insisted Olivier Véran.
The mayor of Fréjus, David Rachline, vice-president of the RN, did not come to greet him. On Facebook, he denounced a campaign trip “at the expense of the taxpayer, just a few months before the European elections”. The visit took place a few days after the publication of a book by journalist Camille Vigogne Le Coat, “Les Rapaces” (Les Arènes edition) denouncing Mr. Rachline’s big train and his links with a powerful local entrepreneur very involved in public markets.
“It’s work that seems serious to me, which was essential, and I imagine that it will lead to answers, whatever the form,” commented Olivier Véran. Asked by AFP to know whether a judicial investigation had been opened, the Grasse public prosecutor’s office did not wish to comment. In a city press release Friday evening, David Rachline “formally contested all of the actions attributed to him.” The city also announced its intention to file a complaint against the journalist and her editor for public defamation.