It was the former presidential candidate of La France insoumise (LFI), Jean-Luc Mélenchon, of whom he was a close collaborator, who announced it on Sunday May 21. Bernard Pignerol, founder of SOS-Racisme and leader of LFI, died of cancer.
State Councilor, founder and vice-president of the SOS-Racisme movement from 1984 to 1993, Bernard Pignerol was a member of the Socialist Left, a current of the Socialist Party led by Mr. Mélenchon, from 1988 to 2002. He was also an international adviser to the mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoë, from 2007 to 2014.
“This morning, Bernard Pignerol, our comrade, passed away in death. Cancer killed him. Distress hits us. He was a leader and an essential activist of the rebellious movement, of which he was one of the most brilliant and active founders, ”tweeted Mr. Mélenchon. “He was an essential companion and friend to me and to many of us. »
“At the heart of all the struggles of the left”
Bernard Pignerol had notably been seen alongside Jean-Luc Mélenchon during the eventful search at the headquarters of LFI, in October 2018, which had earned him a conviction to a fine by the criminal court of Bobigny the following year. An association he chaired, L’Ere du peuple, provider of Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s presidential campaign in 2017, was also indicted last year for “aggravated fraud and attempted fraud” and “false and use of forgery” as part of an investigation into the use of public funds during the campaign of candidate LFI.
The ex-minister and ex-president of SOS-Racisme, Harlem Désir, expressed, also on Twitter, his “tremendous sadness” at the disappearance of a “man of commitment, of culture, at the heart of all the fights of the left”. The Minister of the Economy, Bruno Le Maire, classmate of Bernard Pignerol at the National School of Administration (ENA), said he was “very saddened”. “Our political positions opposed us. Our old ties brought us closer,” he tweeted. On the same social network, Bertrand Delanoë said his “infinite sadness”.
