Marine Le Pen had chosen the pompous decor of the Salons Hoche, in Paris, on Wednesday April 13, to hold a press conference on international politics with the air of a conference of ambassadors. The staging seizes immediately: the candidate for the presidential election is alone, seated on a high platform, barely visible, her face half hidden by a forest of microphones. She seems strangely far away, about fifteen meters from the front rows of some 160 accredited journalists, most of them from foreign media. This icy atmosphere aimed to plant his solemnity and his presidential stature to deliver, in a one-hour speech, his vision of diplomacy.
But this painting collided with the other striking image of the day, which occurred around 4 p.m.: the muscular exfiltration of an environmental activist, pinned to the ground then dragged by the arm to the exit by a man wearing a headset . “Let’s continue our conference”resumed Marine Le Pen.
Later, she replied on BFM-TV, embarrassed: “These are Mr. Darmanin’s police officers [le ministre de l’intérieur]. You have to contact Mr. Darmanin, I have nothing to do with it. » In reality, the man was indeed a historic member of his security service. “How do you want to be a President of the Republic who says she protects the French if, as soon as there is a problem, she says: ‘It’s the police’, when in fact it’s not them? », Gérald Darmanin charged at length against Jordan Bardella, mute, in the evening on BFM-TV.
Ukraine not mentioned once
Those in the room saw the evacuated woman, Pauline Rapilly-Ferniot, elected environmentalist from Boulogne-Billancourt (Hauts-de-Seine), hold up a heart-shaped sign showing a photo of Marine Le Pen with Vladimir Poutine. Objective: to denounce the “complacency” of the candidate towards the Russian leader.
“She used the figure of Putin to give herself international stature, whereas he is a war criminal from Grozny, from Aleppo, explained Hugo, another activist of the collective. Today she lies to get elected, but the day after her election she will strike an alliance with Putin, and what little European solidarity has been won will have vanished overnight. »
It was the black spot for Marine Le Pen. Already in a difficult position over her ties with Moscow, she only mentioned Russia to praise the “bilateral dialogue” and did not once mention Ukraine. “As soon as the Russian-Ukrainian war is over”she repeated, she will plead for “a strategic rapprochement between NATO and Russia” – but did not express reservations about possible war crimes in Mariupol or Boutcha. Asked about her Russian loan of 9 million euros, the candidate for the Elysee Palace explained that she was repaying it. Then, revived later on BFM-TV about a possible conflict of interest: “How is that a special bond? What obligation do I have other than to pay it back? »
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