Alleged false blame on LFI

According to an article published on Monday, October 19 by Mediapart, police officers and members of intelligence services received instructions to place the blame on La France insoumise (LFI) for the looting and damage that occurred during recent mobilizations on Saturday, October 17.

Criticism of the president's claims

Franck Cellier, a journalist and chief editor at Parallèle Sud, accused the president of the Republic of lying when he mentioned "ultraleft" in a speech delivered on Sunday, October 18, and claimed the president was the origin of the violence. This rhetoric was echoed by some politicians from the right and far right.

Paris prosecutor's uncertainty

The Paris prosecutor admitted she could not "confirm" that the perpetrators of violence apprehended were "people politicized toward the ultraleft." However, the Prime Minister repeated this narrative in response to criticisms that the Interior Minister had underestimated the scale of the social movements on October 17.

Recurrence of similar statements

In an article published on Monday, October 19, Mediapart notes the recurrence of this discourse from the executive, recalling similar statements made during the student mobilizations. On September 28, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez denounced the irresponsibility of LFI officials participating in these movements.

Denial of LFI's involvement

Last Saturday, he stated that "what is certain is that we have identified throughout the national territory a large number of ultraleft militants" present to "sometimes make a punch." Faced with the statements of the Paris prosecutor, he denied the reality, asserting that "the ultraleft, who are used to these types of events, avoided being intercepted."

Justice minister's stance

Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin followed suit, stating that "the ultraleft agitators who want to destabilize the institutions" are one of the main threats to France.

Instructions to misrepresent LFI's role

Mediapart claims to have consulted written exchanges in which a territorial intelligence commissioner (RT) confirms that instructions were given to write in their reports, against the truth of the facts, that "LFI is behind the movement."

Police union official's reaction

A national official from a police union organization expressed surprise at the accusations against LFI, stating, "I don't see what LFI has to do with this fiasco. It is dangerous to politicize such a glaring failure and especially not to take full responsibility."

Warnings about social unrest

According to the media Intelligence Online cited by Mediapart, the National Directorate of Territorial Intelligence "has repeatedly warned the executive for a long time about an upcoming flare-up and the return of the Yellow Vest movement in a different form and potentially more violent."

Criticisms of government framing

A prefect interviewed mentioned "kids" when referring to the vandals and a reality that demonstrates the failure of a policy toward youth, adding that "pointing the responsibility of LFI is not the right framing for the government."

Questions about police deployment

In Paris and Marseille, two cities marked by looting this weekend, the elected officials are also questioning and raising a question that upsets the government: why was the majority of police forces mobilized on the processions instead of protecting the businesses against these violent acts?

Echoes of past failures

This question and a failure of the framework surrounding the mobilizations echo those of the first Yellow Vest government under the presidency of Emmanuel Macron.