Philippe Martinez, CGT secretary general, in Paris during the May 1 parade. – ISA HARSIN / SIPA
Philippe Martinez has his own idea of who is responsible for the violence to which activists from his union were victims at the end of the May Day parade. The secretary general of the CGT estimated Monday on Public Senate that they could have been committed by “the extreme right”.
“It looks a lot like the extreme right (…) with very organized things, we attack and then send in front of other people who are not necessarily identified”, he explained, also citing “the words that have been uttered, the insults ”. According to him, the CGT could have been targeted because of its “statements”, for example on the platform signed by generals in Current values, or because of his “fight for undocumented workers”.
Open investigation
The CGT of the Yvelines department, whose activists were “molested” on Saturday, had organized a “large procession of undocumented workers”, he noted. For Philippe Martinez, the events of Saturday were not fortuitous: “for us to reach such a level, there is preparation”.
The prosecution announced on Sunday the opening of an investigation for “willful violence” and “degradation”. The union deplored Saturday “21 injured including four serious” and the degradation of several vehicles. Sources within the CGT and the police had pointed to the responsibility of “yellow vests”. In a statement, the central had reported “homophobic, sexist, racist insults”.
Martinez’s reproaches to the police headquarters
Philippe Martinez also denounced again on Public Senate the policing techniques of the police headquarters, regretting that the demonstration was “stopped” at Saint-Ambroise for a long time, then that its trucks were “blocked” at Nation by the police. The prefecture had explained in a press release that several union vehicles were engaged “on the wrong exit”. The CGT announced the holding of a press conference on Wednesday on these events.