The day after his ouster from the May 1 demonstration in Saint-Etienne, the candidate of the Socialist Party (PS) and his Place publique formation in the European elections, Raphaël Glucksmann, denounced Thursday May 2 on the set of France 5 a “deleterious atmosphere” in public debate.
“At some point, it has to stop, because the violence of words always ends in violence of facts. We need to return to reason, to the Republican debate,” he declared. The MEP had to be exfiltrated by his security service after being booed with shouts of “Get out of it”, “Glucksmann get out of there” and even “Palestine will live” by demonstrators who threw paint at him.
The socialist candidate once again pointed the finger at Jean-Luc Mélenchon and “the “rebellious” circles” who, according to him, “orchestrated a violent, false campaign against [his] own person, against [his] votes in the European Parliament , against our positions”. “And that’s what produced this atmosphere in Saint-Etienne,” he lashed out.
Like the day before, the socialist candidate once again accused communist and “rebellious” activists of having prevented him from participating in this May 1 rally. A few hours earlier on Thursday, the president of the “rebellious” group, Mathilde Panot, had nevertheless denied any participation by LFI sympathizers in this action, accusing Mr. Gluscksmann of having “lied” on this subject. For Ms Panot, the MEP himself “highlighted [this incident] to accuse the “rebellious””. “Raphaël Glucksmann, excuse yourself! », Jean-Luc Mélenchon also thundered in a message posted on X on Wednesday afternoon.
According to the “rebels”, this action was carried out by the Young Communists of Loire, who recognized their participation. But TF1 and LCI collected the testimony of an LFI activist, former deputy of an LFI candidate – not elected – in the 2022 legislative elections, claiming, with the “rebellious” flag on his shoulder, “to have been one of those who have expelled”. “I am attacked by radical and violent activists of the Young Communists and “rebels” and it should be me who should apologize? Well I won’t apologize,” Mr. Glucksmann replied Thursday evening.
“They don’t impress us.”
“I want to tell these people who brutalize public debate that they do not impress us,” he added, assuring that his campaign “is designed as an antidote to this permanent brutalization of public debate.” The socialist candidate shows his intention to lead “a campaign on the subject of the election, Europe”. “What defense Europe faces Putin? Which Europe has an ecological transition facing the prospect of climate collapse? », he listed.
Asked about the reasons for this action, Mr. Glucksmann believes that “it is undoubtedly because our camp has momentum [in the polls]”. The socialist candidate is placed in third position – at the head of the left and gradually getting closer to the presidential camp candidate, Valérie Hayer –, according to the fourth wave of the electoral survey carried out by Ipsos, in partnership with the Sciences Po Political Research Center (Cevipof), the Institut Montaigne, the Jean Jaurès Foundation and Le Monde.
“They get angry because we are in front, because he [Jean-Luc Mélenchon] thought he was the owner of the left,” continued Mr. Glucksmann. I want to show that there is still a humanist, pro-European left that stands up, that does not allow itself to be impressed by violence. »
The socialist candidate for the European elections received several supports on the left, including that of the national secretary of the PCF, Fabien Roussel, for whom “nothing justifies that Raphaël Glucksmann was excluded from a mobilization this May 1 in Saint-Etienne”. “The social movement gains nothing from practicing ukase and exclusion,” said the deputy from the North in a message on shares the socialist president of the Occitanie region, Carole Delga. This is the society they are offering us, it is not ours. »
“I will always stand against any form of violence in politics. Politics can sometimes be a fight in the noble sense of the term, but it must always be done with respect for the integrity of people,” reacted the Prime Minister, Gabriel Attal, during a trip to Beaugency (Loiret).
