In the face of barbarity in Israel, Emmanuel Macron seeks to preserve harmony in France. Five days after the terrorist attack launched by Hamas, with the support of Islamic Jihad, another Palestinian militant group, the president was due to meet with the leaders of France's various political parties, as well as the presidents of the Assemblée Nationale and the Sénat on Thursday, October 12. No political leader is expected to be absent – not even the coordinator of radical left party La France Insoumise (LFI), Manuel Bompard, which has been castigated by political leaders of all stripes for refusing to describe Hamas as a terrorist organization. Bompard confirmed his attendance to Le Monde on Wednesday afternoon.
According to the Elysée, this meeting will be held without staff or cell phones. It will be followed by a solemn address by the president at 8pm on French public TV channels France 2 and TF1. "It is astonishing that the President of the Republic, who makes a speech for a 'yes' or a 'no', has nothing to say about the appalling massacre committed by Islamist terrorists in Israel and the measures he intends to take to protect our country from this murderous madness," Marine Le Pen, president of the Rassemblement National (far right) group in the Assemblée Nationale, had posted on Wednesday on X (formerly Twitter).
"In an age of information confusion, where the flood of hatred mingles with 'fake news' and unbearable images, Emmanuel Macron has a duty to appease, to reassure, to give form to reality in order to protect unity. That's the role of a modern head of state," replied the president's former speechwriter, Jonathan Guémas, in charge of the Renaissance presidential party's response, now an executive at public relations group Publicis.
Although, according to the Elysée, the meeting does not aim to "target one party more than another," Macron intends to call on the representatives of the various political parties to show unity. The attitude of La France Insoumise is of particular concern, as the government fears that the conflict could spread to other parts of France. The ministry of the interior notes that 10% of the French population declares themselves to be Muslim. "LFI's discourse is aimed at this community," said Hervé Marseille, a senator and the president of the center-right Union des démocrates et indépendants party.
"LFI's attitude is undignified but also dangerous, in implying that Hamas would be the defender of the Palestinians and the oppressed," added Clément Beaune, Junior Minister for Transport and a representative of the left wing of Macron's supporters. "There's something very cynical about Jean-Luc Mélenchon [leader of LFI] who wants to talk to the streets", to our "communities" said Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin on radio station France Inter on Thursday, describing the tactic as "ignominious". The Interior Ministry has recorded more than 100 anti-Semitic acts in France since Saturday, and Darmanin spoke of an "jihad atmosphere," warning: "There are Hamas political proxies in France."
You have 45.31% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.