After the triggering of 49.3 decided by Emmanuel Macron on the pension reform, the government must now deal with the social anger that is waking up. The Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin sent a message on Thursday evening to all the prefects asking them for their greatest “vigilance” and “full mobilization to guarantee the safety of all the elected officials of our Republic. »
“Elected officials, especially parliamentarians, are sometimes the subject of threats, insults, insults or malicious acts such as damage to property. These acts of intimidation and violence are unacceptable, ”says the minister in a telegram that Le Parisien was able to consult. “I ask you to firmly maintain the system implemented following my previous instructions with the aim of preventing any attack on elected officials and reacting promptly in the event of an incident. »
Monitoring near elected offices
This system involves “surveillance around the offices of parliamentarians and their homes” but also “reinforced monitoring on social networks” or even “informing elected officials of the steps to be taken in the event of an incident”, indicates Gérald Darmanin. Earlier in the evening, the patron saint of Renaissance deputies Aurore Bergé had asked the Minister of the Interior to “mobilize the services of the State” for the “protection of parliamentarians” of the majority, targeted by opponents of the pension reform.
“I refuse to see deputies from my group, or any deputy of the Nation, being afraid of their individual expression, afraid to vote freely because he would fear reprisals”, wrote the elected official in a letter to the minister. “Following the letter you sent to me (…) I would like to confirm that the protection of elected officials is currently and more than ever the priority of the Minister of the Interior”, replied Gérald Darmanin.
“Possible overflows”
The triggering on Thursday by Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne of the constitutional weapon of 49.3 to have the pension reform adopted definitively without a vote by the Assembly was followed by rallies in several cities in France and demonstrations enamelled with tensions.
Several union officials in the transport and energy sectors have also warned against possible “excesses” or “individual actions” by rank-and-file employees. Parliamentarians from the majority but also from LR have already suffered power cuts or degradation of permanence.