Gather in front of the prefectures and “invade them, even, if necessary” to ask the State to “act” in the face of rising food, energy and fuel prices: this call, made on Wednesday September 13 by the national secretary of the Communist Party, Fabien Roussel, was strongly denounced on Thursday by the leader of La France insoumise, Jean-Luc Mélenchon.
“This violent initiative is purely personal. It has not been discussed anywhere, not even in the PCF. I therefore believe that it would not be reasonable to join in given the violence that it would imply in this total unpreparedness,” he said on X (formerly Twitter). Mr. Roussel assured that he was for “non-violent action” but said he feared “eruptions of hunger”.
“I prefer that a political party, trade union organizations, associations organize this anger and express it towards the representatives of the State who are the prefects but also the ministers, the President of the Republic to ask what this move,” he argued.
A little earlier Thursday, Fabien Roussel had this time launched a call “to invade gas stations and supermarkets”, believing that it was “self-defense” in the face of rising prices. On the prices of gasoline and food, “are we being fleeced, attacked, racketeered and we should not say anything? », protested Mr. Roussel on Franceinfo. “There are concrete measures to be implemented to lower prices, block them from below (…) We call for mobilization, to invade service stations, supermarkets, prefectures because the State is responsible “, he justified. “It’s a matter of self-defense.”
On gasoline, the national secretary of the PCF believes that we must both “lower taxes, put in place a regulated price and tax the super profits” of oil companies so “that they stop gorging themselves on our backs”.
MM. Roussel and Mélenchon have complicated relationships: many rebels criticize the national secretary of the PCF for having prevented Jean-Luc Mélenchon from reaching the second round of the presidential election last year. At the beginning of the summer, Fabien Roussel wanted to “dissociate” himself from the remarks of the rebellious leader, too virulent in his eyes, on the riots.
