Paris (AFP)
Prime Minister Jean Castex denounced Thursday "inadmissible excesses" in the face of criticism regarding the appointment as Minister of the Interior of Gérald Darmanin, targeted by an investigation for rape, which castigates him for a "manhunt" .
"Mr. Darmanin has the right to respect for the principles of the Republic, like all citizens. We are witnessing abuses that are unacceptable, I say here with solemnity and gravity," launched Mr. Castex during the current affairs questions.
The appointment to the government of Mr. Darmanin has aroused the anger of feminist movements and critics of a part of the political world for days after having been accused by a woman of forced sexual relations, which he denies.
In a column published in Le Monde, a group of 91 "activists, intellectuals, feminist politicians" write that "this reshuffle of the French government represents an anti-feminist political shift, whose scope goes far beyond the borders of France" and "reinforces the + backlash + against women, in violation of fundamental rights ".
Socialist senator Murielle Cabaret criticized the Prime Minister for her "unfailing support for the Minister of the Interior, without even waiting for the end of the legal proceedings". She pointed out what she considers to be "an ethical and political error of incredible symbolic violence", which would amount, according to her, to consider that "Mr. Darmanin is innocent, that the victim lies, in defiance of the principles of fairness of the contradictory and balance between the parts ", while being said" very attached to the presumption of innocence ".
Jean Castex replied that "it is not Mr. Darmanin (whom he) defends" but "the fundamental principles of the rule of law".
"It is in my soul and conscience that I made this proposal (to appoint Mr. Darmanin Minister of the Interior)," added the head of government. "Your intervention, madam, therefore supposes that I would have biased with my conscience, and that I do not allow you to say," he added to Senator PS.
"If it was shown that I was wrong, I would draw all the consequences," said Mr. Castex the day before in Le Parisien.
Thursday morning, Gérald Darmanin said he was the victim, on Europe 1, of a "slander".
"I do not wish anyone to be wrongly accused and I do not even wish my worst enemy to be the victim of the manhunt to which I am now the object," he added.
Questioned on LCI Thursday, Marlène Schiappa, Minister Delegate for Citizenship, also defended her and said that "we are in fact beyond the presumption of innocence", after previous court decisions.
During his July 14 interview, Emmanuel Macron also defended the appointment of Gérald Darmanin on behalf of the presumption of innocence.
Gérald Darmanin was accused in 2017 of rape by a woman, Sophie Patterson-Spatz, who requested it in 2009, when he was project manager in the legal affairs department of the UMP (party which became LR), in an attempt to to have his 2004 conviction set aside, for blackmail and malicious calls against an ex-partner.
According to her statements, Mr. Darmanin made her show her support and she felt compelled to "go to the pan", as she explained to the investigators. Mr. Darmanin admitted having had sexual intercourse with this woman, but according to him, freely consented.
Initially closed without further action, the procedure was relaunched by the Paris Court of Appeal, which asked for new investigations at the start of June.
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