While the announcement of the presentation of a bill by France Insoumise (LFI) aimed at eliminating from the penal code the crime of advocacy of terrorism sparked a lively political controversy over the weekend, said the Minister of Justice, Didier Migaud. “extremely shocked” AND “decidedly against”Monday, November 25.
“I don’t understand how we can let our guard down in the face of the threat of terrorism, which is very present today”declared the Keeper of the Seals on the set of France 2 before continuing: “It is despicable, we must fight it with the greatest force (…). Freedom of expression has never allowed everything, there are limits to this freedom of expression. »
“Since the apology allows us to justify and excuse, finding mitigating circumstances for a terrorist act is unacceptable”declared Mr. Migaud, stating that this should “must be fought with the greatest force”.
Strong criticism and distancing from the PS
The text, presented by the deputy of the North Ugo Bernalicis and his colleagues from the LFI group, wants to eliminate this infringement, considering that in this matter it is sufficient “the law of July 29, 1881 that deals with facts relating to the crimes of apology of crimes, apology of war crimes, apology of crimes against humanity”. “What democracy can still retain its name when anti-terrorist methods are used to repress political activists, community activists, journalists or even trade unionists”we can read in the explanatory memorandum.
The crime of advocacy of terrorism was removed from the 1881 law to be included in the penal code in 2014. La France insoumise wants “put back” this crime “in the right place” in the law by eliminating it from the penal code, said on Sunday the president of the LFI deputies, Mathilde Panot.
Condemnations of this bill were added on Saturday, among the Macronists and the right. The Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau, tried on Sunday “unspeakable” the LFI proposal, believing that the left should “dissociate” of the movement led by Jean-Luc Mélenchon.
The first secretary of the Socialist Party, Olivier Faure, for his part, criticized the bill of his partner from the New Popular Front, considering it “it is imperative to protect public liberties, but also to protect the French from fanaticism and calls for violence and hatred”. “Socialists? I understood that they would oppose it.”argued Didier Migaud on Monday, when questioned about his position.
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To explain the LFI’s proposal, Bernalicis cites the case of Jean-Paul Delescaut, general secretary of the departmental union of the CGT of the North, sentenced to one year of suspended prison in the first instance – he appealed – for “apology for terrorism” following comments made in a pamphlet supporting the Palestinians. “The horrors of the illegal occupation have accumulated. Since Saturday [7 octobre 2023, date de l’attaque du Hamas en Israël]they receive the responses they provoked”we could read in the brochure.
The LFI deputy also mentions the president of his group, Mathilde Panot, and the “rebel” MEP Rima Hassan, who were interrogated in April by the Parisian judicial police in the framework of an investigation for “apology for terrorism”. METROme Panot was questioned about the statement published by her group on October 7, 2023, in which she called the Hamas attack on Israel a “an armed offensive by Palestinian forces”in a “Context of intensification of the Israeli occupation policy” in the Palestinian territories.
