Invited to France Inter, the leader of the Insoumis felt it necessary to “raise the tone”.
His remarks caused controversy. And provoked the ire of the opposition. Following a police intervention which resulted in one death and one serious injury, Jean-Luc Mélenchon said in a tweet: “Another unacceptable abuse of power. The death penalty for refusing to comply. The prefect approves? The minister congratulates? Shame is when?»
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Two days later, the leader of rebellious France added: “The police kill, and the rebel group Alliance justifies the shootings and the death for “refusal to comply”. Shame is when?Invited this morning on France Inter, the outgoing deputy in Marseille assumes his point. “It’s my duty to do it“, he said. Before justifying his second tweet: “what i said [dans un premier temps] found no echo. As that did not work, I raised the tone. And I get what I want. Thousands of people hear that there is a politician who does not accept the evolution of the use of police force as defined by the political power that commands.»
Sweeping away criticism from the opposition, coming, according to him, from “right or extreme right“, the leader of the Insoumis specified:”If you vote for me, I will change the doctrine of the use of police force in our country and say that it is not normal that someone is killed because he refuses to comply.” Jean-Luc Mélenchon then defended himself from being “anti cop“. “I never was. I am against the disproportionate use of violence“, he concluded.
Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne judged on France Bleu the words of Jean-Luc Mélenchon “very shocking” and “outrageous”. “The police carry out a difficult mission in the service of the French”she recalled.
François Hollande’s former head of government, Bernard Cazeneuve, for his part declared on Twitter this morning: “The police protect us. Police fall each year to ensure the protection of the French. They deserve our respect. To insult and smear them out of electoralism and sheer cynicism is irresponsible and unworthy.“The mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, estimated the words of Jean-Luc Mélenchon “unspeakable“. “You have to put him out of harm’s wayhe continued. To attack the police is to harm the Republic and democracy.»