Elisabeth Borne accused, Tuesday, December 5, the National Rally of “fueling controversies” and of not voting or of voting “against” anti-terrorism measures.
“When France is affected, there are those who act with responsibility. And then there are you and your party who, once again, are rushing with the sole aim of fueling controversies,” said the Prime Minister in the National Assembly, in response to a question from Marine Le Pen after the fatal knife attack on Saturday in Paris, which put the executive under pressure in the face of the jihadist threat. The RN “systematically opposed measures to strengthen the protection of the French” and the “fight against terrorism”, added Elisabeth Borne.
The head of government notably wondered “where was” the party in 2017 “during the vote on the law strengthening internal security and the fight against terrorism”, which the far-right deputies “did not vote for” . They also “did not vote” in 2021 for the creation of a “separatism offense” and voted “against” the establishment in 2019 of a national anti-terrorism prosecution, she listed.
“Your votes speak for themselves.”
” We act. You are arguing. We are taking action. You are in the posture. Your votes speak for themselves,” summarized the Prime Minister, accusing the party of calling into question “the work of our intelligence services and our law enforcement.”
“It’s you that I’m questioning,” Ms. Le Pen then launched. “Islamism is not looked in the face but downplayed”, “invisibilized”, the leader of the RN deputies said in her question. “This evasion is not responsible,” she added, asking the government to take back its proposals.
In response to a question from the president of the Les Républicains deputies, Olivier Marleix, Elisabeth Borne recalled that the government had “strengthened [its] anti-terrorism arsenal” and that it was considering “completing” it. “We will have to debate it, we are in the process of examining it,” she said.
The custody of Franco-Iranian Armand Rajabpour-Miyandoab continued on Tuesday, three days after the fatal knife attack in Paris near the Eiffel Tower. Before his action, the attacker had pledged allegiance in a video to the Islamic State group.