His photo ended up prominently in the pages of the last Sunday Newspaper, which announced an imminent defector of Senator RN of Bouches-du-Rhône to Eric Zemmour. On the eve of a trip by Marine Le Pen to the department, Stéphane Ravier returns to 20 minutes on these rumors, and denies any rallying to the polemicist, for whom he does not however hide his sympathy.
In its latest edition, the JDD says that you are thinking of rallying Eric Zemmour. What is it?
I will be with Marine Le Pen. My candidate is Marine le Pen. The rest are just rumors. I participated in the organization of his visit, first on Friday in the Bouches-du-Rhône, then on Saturday in Marseille. I will be accompanying him during his visit to the Iter site.
How do you explain these rumors?
This is undoubtedly a strategy of my competitor’s team. The rumor was started by a third person whose name we do not know, and since then, it runs, it runs, the rumor! It is true that my speech from the start has not changed, both in substance and in form, and that it corresponds to that of Eric Zemmour. But I rather say to Eric Zemmour that it is up to him to rally Stéphane Ravier!
You even showed your sympathy to Eric Zemmour, by inviting him in April 2019 to a debate at Parc Chanot …
He keeps my sympathy. He is in a denunciation phase almost three years ago. He has not changed in his analyzes. But I salute the courage demonstrated for several years, and well before his, of my candidate, for whom I keep this loyalty and this attachment. Marine Le Pen did not wait for the end of her media career to go there. However, I am not one of those who will attack Eric Zemmour. He is not my opponent. My opponent is Emmanuel Macron. The country has been going even worse for five years, and it’s not Eric Zemmour’s fault. When Marine Le Pen arrives at the head of the first round, the whole national family will have to come together.
Has contact been established between you and his teams, in particular to organize his visit to Marseille next week, as stated by the JDD ?
It is true that I know a lot of people who are in his team, who, before, were with us. But I was not asked to participate or to be the organizer of its coming. They got people for it, I believe, you know. Finally, not much in Marseille for the moment …
the JDD note that you were one of the rare RN executives who did not go to Fréjus for Marine Le Pen’s political re-entry…
I was invited to a wedding, you see! [celui de Marion Maréchal-Le Pen]. It cannot be refused! I was also able to see the founding president. But you know, there were other close relatives of Marine Le Pen at this wedding who are now part of the campaign. This should not be seen as proof of mistrust. She also asked me to organize her visit. Perhaps this is proof that she trusts me!
You were barred from entering the RN executive office during the last congress, last July in Perpignan… Did you think about leaving the party at that time?
Let’s say that it didn’t make me happy… But you have to know how to digest bad news. I’m not going to whine. If we had to leave every time we are disappointed, you know …