Who are the rioters? The question agitates the media and researchers at least as much as the political sphere, in search of lessons to be learned, culprits to be designated and new measures to be applied. On the profile of the troublemakers, the Republicans are fully committed to the highway of the link with immigration. “Of course, they are French, but they are French by their identity and unfortunately for the second and third generations, there is a kind of regression towards ethnic origins”, dropped the boss of LR senators, Bruno Retailleau, Wednesday morning on franceinfo.
An exit from a “crass racism”, “dripping”, for several elected officials on the left, but which did not prevent Jacqueline Eustache-Brinio from engaging a few hours later, in front of Gérald Darmanin in the Senate. “You are going to tell me that most of the people arrested are French. All right. But that doesn’t mean anything anymore. How are they French? “Asks Senator LR from Val-d’Oise, who wants to “know who these children from immigration are” who have “a hatred of France” according to her.
“There are a lot of Kevin or Mattéo”
” I am not racist. And if you say it on your antenna, I will draw the consequences, ”she then defended herself at the microphone of LCI journalist Paul Larrouturou. Gérald Darmanin rejected a “only identity explanation”. While acknowledging that “identity or community reflexes” can be maintained, the Minister insisted on his opposition to “discourses which consisted in saying that there were people who were intrinsically predetermined” to violence.
“I did about fifteen police stations in four days, at night. The first thing I do when I go to the guardhouse is to ask for the list of people in custody and what they did, replied Gérald Darmanin to Jacqueline Eustache-Brinio. Yes, there are people who apparently could have an immigrant background. But there were a lot of Kevin and Mattéo if I may say so. »