Paris (AFP)
Christophe Castaner on Wednesday asked Jean-Luc Mélenchon to apologize to the police, which the insubordinate leader of France called Tuesday "barbarians", an "unacceptable insult" according to the Minister of the Interior.
On videos shot by several media during the demonstration against the pension reform, Mr. Mélenchon informally discusses with protesters who say they were victims of police violence at gatherings the previous Saturday.
"They slaughtered us, Saturday, at close range," said a protester. "Everyone told me that you did not even have time to start, they shot you," replied Mr. Mélenchon.
"There are plenty of wounded," wounded "serious head," says the protester, we do not see the image. "Oh yes, yes, they are barbarians, be careful, because they do not stop now," replied Mr. Mélenchon.
The latter then calls the protesters to be cautious and calm. "Be careful, do not add, it's not worth coming back with one eye less," says the leader of LFI. "They attack everyone, they are more and more violent, you have to be careful," he adds.
"Saturday, if I had been there (at the demonstrations, ed), they kill me, they wait for the pretext, and then it's me who cries to see that they put you off," said Mr. Mélenchon.
"Unacceptable insult to our forces of the order mobilized, every day, to protect the French, risking their life. @JLMelenchon owes them the respect, and hence of the excuses", reacted Wednesday morning Mr. Castaner on Twitter.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon replied on the social network by calling once again for the resignation of Mr. Castaner: "The only manifesto in the world repressed.A outburst of disproportionate violence.After 24 éborgnés, 5 mutilated and 2 dead, @ CCastaner owes an apology to the French and his resignation would be more useful since the Alliance union is already replacing him. "
The discussion between Mr. Mélenchon and protesters referred to the violence regularly reported by police on the sidelines of the "yellow vests" movement, which has taken hundreds of thousands of French people into the streets since mid-November. 2018, and Saturday during the march for the climate in Paris.
These demonstrations, which sometimes degenerated into violent clashes and riots, revived polemics about policing, fueled by images of wounded protesters: nearly 2,500, sometimes seriously. Twenty-four people were seized and five had their hands torn apart by independent journalists and groups of wounded.
For its part, the Ministry of the Interior evokes some 1,800 wounded in the police force.
© 2019 AFP