Emmanuel Macron. – Bertrand Guay / AP / SIPA
- A few days after the assassination of a police officer, the government presents this Wednesday a bill which endorses and strengthens measures in the area of intelligence and anti-terrorism.
- Since Friday’s attack, the opposition has been increasing criticism of the executive’s security record.
- By insisting on sovereign matters, Emmanuel Macron is already planning for the 2022 presidential election.
A text that comes at the right time for the executive. A few days after the assassination of a police official in Rambouillet, the government presents, this Wednesday in the Council of Ministers, a bill which confirms and reinforces measures in terms of intelligence and anti-terrorism. The coincidence is “very sad” but “the last arbitration meeting was concomitant with the attack” Friday afternoon, confides to AFP a ministerial adviser.
This new law is added to Emmanuel Macron’s latest releases on insecurity and delinquency. One year before the presidential election, the majority assumes the security tone of the past few months, and sweeps away the lax criticism of the opposition.
Emmanuel Macron is “the man of chaos” for the RN
Because since the knife attack on Friday, the right and the National Rally have continued to criticize the government’s record in the fight against terrorism. “Emmanuel Macron has allowed the entry of 1.8 million people on our soil since 2017. He seriously questioned the probity of our police. During his five-year term, he was the man of chaos, the man of disorder, the man of violence ”, insisted this Monday the vice-president of RN Jordan Bardella on Cnews.
Same tone for the number 2 of the Republicans Guillaume Peltier, Sunday on France 3, who denounced “the cowardice and submission of our rulers on terrorism and security”, calling on the government to “stop all immigration in a radical way”. This demand for firmness at the borders was taken up everywhere on the right of the political spectrum, while the assailant shot dead by the police on Friday was a Tunisian who arrived irregularly in France in 2009 and regularized in 2019.
“The opposition engages in the sausage competition”
On the side of La République en Marche, we are sweeping away the critics. “It is not because a Tunisian who entered France illegally kills a policewoman that all borders should be closed,” replied Caroline Abadie, LREM member of Isère. “The opposition engages in the sausage competition by selling false promises as Xavier Bertrand does with floor sentences and conviction without trial. It is not realistic, because we are a rule of law, ”she adds.
Sylvain Maillard, LREM deputy for Paris and spokesperson for the group in the Assembly, also defends the results of the five-year term: “The right always has big words, but when they are in power, nothing happens, if not. ‘is the reduction in the number of police officers, when we increase them, ”he argues, while the Head of State recently confirmed the objective of 10,000 additional police officers and gendarmes by 2022.
A major theme for 2022 and assumed by walkers
If security is one of the key themes of this spring 2021, it is also that the presidential election is already in everyone’s mind. The right and the RN are trying to corner Emmanuel Macron on his security record, which could be one of his weak points, because it is considered negative by 65% of French people according to a recent Elabe poll.
“Insecurity has been a nagging theme for years, remember the 2002 campaign. But Emmanuel Macron is not Lionel Jospin, he has no naivety on the subject. He was aware that we had to strengthen our police and legal resources. We do not have to be ashamed of our record, ”says Roland Lescure, LREM MP and spokesperson for the movement.
According to one Ifop study published on Sunday, 86% of those questioned assure that the fight against insecurity will be an important element in their vote in the next presidential election. If he wishes to be re-elected, the head of state knows that he is expected at the turn. While the bill against separatism is still under discussion in Parliament, the government is increasing the number of sovereign texts (reform of justice, criminal irresponsibility), after several laws already adopted, against thugs or on “global security”.
“There is an expectation of our fellow citizens for more security, we must respond to it when it was not one of our strong themes in 2017, recognizes Sylvain Maillard. The “liberate-protect” of the campaign was mainly concentrated from an economic point of view. In 2022, it also concerned the health and safety aspect ”.