One of the main police unions, Alliance, announced on Wednesday the filing of a defamation complaint against Jean-Luc Mélenchon who qualified him on Saturday as a “factious union” which “claims to be able to shoot people”.
“Unacceptable” remarks
During a press conference, the secretary general of Alliance, Fabien Vanhemelryck, explained that this decision had been taken during the board of directors of the union. He argued that Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s remarks this Saturday at the convention of the New Popular Ecological and Social Union (Nupes) were “unacceptable”.
“Our colleagues apply the laws and respect them. They are not above the law, but not below the law either,” he said, pointing out that the attacks on the police by the former presidential candidate were “recurring” .
A barrier crossed
Alliance had organized a rally a year ago in front of the National Assembly during which Fabien Vanhemelryck had declared: “the problem of the police is justice”.
Present at the press conference, Me Laurent Benarrous, counsel for the union, affirmed that the complaint for “defamation and public insult” against the leader of France Insoumise would be filed on Thursday, because “a barrier of extreme gravity has been crossed “.
A relentlessness
For Mr. Benarrous, “Mr. Mélenchon persists in pushing back the rule of law to establish a state of permanent insurrection”. “There is a desire to disintegrate the Republic (…) you can’t spend your time wiping your feet on the police,” he said.
In his eyes, the leader of France rebellious by his remarks makes “incitement to hatred”. “He accuses some of the police of being murderers (…) He endangers the agents (…) Alliance has never asked for a license to kill, but at the very least not to have a presumption of guilt”.