While the executive accuses the right and the far right of instrumentalizing the murder of little Lola, the Council of Ministers on Wednesday hailed the “courage” of the parents of this 12-year-old teenager killed last Friday in Paris in atrocious conditions. They “face the unspeakable”, reported government spokesman Olivier Véran.
The parents “are asking us to show ourselves collectively in support of what they are going through without adding to it”, he underlined. Olivier Véran also indicated that the government recognizes having to “do better” on the expulsions of irregular immigrants, while right and RN point the finger at what would be its “responsibility” in the drama of the murder of the schoolgirl, by a suspect who was subject to an obligation to leave French territory.
“We are working hard to ensure that the evictions” are “followed by effect”, but “we obviously have to do better”, declared the government spokesperson after the Council of Ministers.
The main suspect in Lola’s murder, Dahbia B., a 24-year-old Algerian, was indicted on Monday for “murder” and “aggravated rape” and imprisoned. She entered France legally in 2016 with a student residence permit, but had been subject to an Obligation to leave French territory (OQTF) since last August.
“The level of compliance with OQTFs today is the maximum level known during President Sarkozy’s five-year term,” said Olivier Véran, while specifying that it is not “satisfactory”. “We have multiplied by almost twenty the number of OQTFs to Algeria compared to last year, which was a rather exceptional year, given the situation on the Covid”, he also specified.
“It horrifies us all”
But the spokesperson also invited those who argue about this case to show “dignity”. “The time has not come to bring a political trial, political overexploitation, as we have seen it done for a few days, it is the wish of the family”, criticized the minister. “You have millions of families who recognize themselves in the parents of little Lola and it strikes us all, it marks us all and it horrifies us all”, he noted, recalling that Emmanuel Macron received them on Tuesday at the Elysee.
“Obviously we want the strongest convictions, obviously we want justice to take its course as quickly and as firmly as possible,” added Olivier Véran. “There are a lot of answers that we need to get and it is not up to a leader of a political party, to a parliamentarian or to journalists today to do this work, it is up to justice to do so and therefore we respect the time of justice, ”he warned.