Michaël Delafosse: "Youth need a framework, but also examples"

Michaël Delafosse does not want us to feel sorry for himself. In recent days, the PS mayor of Montpellier has spent quite a few nights surveying his city, talking to its inhabitants, struggling to have the damage caused by the riots repaired as quickly as possible, but he says that the mayors are “ there for that.” He is especially worried about the police and firefighters, the front lines of the nights of violence. Michaël Delafosse is also alarmed by the general weakening of authority, closing riots in his eyes. He explains it.

Le Point: The prefect of Hérault put the question of parental authority on the table with a shock sentence aimed at young people who behave badly: “It’s two slaps and in bed”. Do you approve?

Michaël Delafosse: The question of parental authority is, indeed, the real subject. Parenting support is essential. Sometimes parents are overwhelmed by situations, such as during the crisis of adolescence. I have never seen a parent write a resignation letter. On the other hand, I have seen single mothers with children in a situation of social vulnerability. There are many parents, but not many fathers who assume their role. What do we do when a teenager becomes a driver? Can we then put it back into the school setting? This social issue must be addressed. The parents of all minors arrested in Montpellier during the riots will be summoned to the town hall. I will talk to them, to remind them that there is a framework. No child is meant to be on the streets at 11 p.m. or midnight. Likewise, what should be the attitude of parents towards screens and social networks, for example? These questions must be taken head-on.

Are you in favor, like Franck Louvrier, of the temporary banning of networks like Snapchat and TikTok during the riots?

Social networks are a poison for democracy, everyone agrees to say it. It is therefore venom for the young, which are in the process of being formed. This phenomenon requires an educational response first. Social networks can distort a democratic debate, even more so during times like the ones we have just experienced.

The crisis of authority is not just about parents…

No, there is a crisis of public authority. A few weeks ago, in Reims, a woman was killed because she was wearing a white coat; everywhere, firefighters, a profession that many young people want to embrace, are being stoned; and I add the globalizing judgments on the police, even if we expect the republican police to set an example…

Are you referring to Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s phrase, “the police kill”?

When we pass simplistic judgments, we participate in the weakening of authority. It’s the same thing when you hear people say, “Teachers suck.” I will quote Jean Birnbaum: “You have to find the courage of nuance. I would add that civil servants, who embody the function of authority, find themselves in situations of loneliness which contribute to their weakening. They are not supported enough, not protected enough, they are instructed not to make waves. All of this contributes to what Jérôme Fourquet calls the phenomenon of archipelization, which can lead to a form of fragmentation. However, if there are many people in whom we can trust in this country, it is the caregivers, the firefighters, the teachers, it is also the police.

Do you think that in terms of the disintegration of authority we have reached a point of no return?

No, I’m optimistic. But it needs remobilization. We must not give in to fears, give the feeling that we are stepping back. During those days of riots, I saw people sleeping in their cars to protect them. Phenomena of violence always strike the most vulnerable. It is important to set benchmarks. In this regard, I would like to point out that the school calendar has done a lot of harm. College and high school students have been out of school for a month. This disintegration of the school calendar creates tensions. Respecting the school year is important. The school year is a benchmark, it must not end with three months of vacation. It should also not start one week after the fixed start. We must hold fast to the rules that underpin life in society. In the same way, we must be intractable when there is a breach of ethics by a public servant. Some statements by people who have police status are unacceptable.

Are you referring to the statement from the Alliance union, which calls for a “fight” against the “harmful”?

The right to organize is fundamental, but it does not authorize everything. Otherwise, we have the feeling that the dikes are giving way. All of this contributes to the weakening of authority.

Isn’t the problem, too, in young people’s lack of respect for institutions that embody authority?

They are in a learning process, they need benchmarks. The image of democratic debate is therefore fundamental for them, the way in which adults behave shapes their own benchmarks. I will remember all my life, in my career as a teacher, the remark of a pupil whom I had rebuked for vulgar remarks: “But the President of the Republic speaks like that when he says ‘break up poor’ con”. This type of statement therefore has a certain influence. Young people need a framework, but also examples.

Is authority always an example?

We must, it is true, have a reflection on life skills. I am mayor in costume, because I embody a function, which commands this attitude. Do we still listen to each other in our country? Not really. If we don’t listen to each other, what role model are we giving to young people? I fight the culture of excuses, but what we tolerate in public debate is not acceptable.

Hasn’t the culture of the excuse taken its toll on the left?

In any case, the left must be clear. Calls for calm and responsibility during the riots should not have been debated. The left fights violence, it therefore fights those who transgress the rule and the law. She wants to protect, which is why liberals blame her for making too many rules! And when you break a rule, there must be a sanction.

What penalties do you apply to those who break the rule?

In Montpellier, if the occupant of social housing is convicted of selling drugs or insulting an agent of the HLM organization, for example, he is expelled. Another example: in the event of school absenteeism, we can seize the family allowance fund to suspend social assistance. We must remobilize to reaffirm what is authoritative in society, from the teacher to the caregiver, including the firefighter and the policeman. Public services are the lifeblood of our social pact. We must not give in.