Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin and Prime Minister Jean Castex.

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ELIOT BLONDET-POOL / SIPA

  • A week after adopting the “comprehensive security” law in the Assembly, the majority will have to completely rewrite its article 24, which plans to penalize the malicious dissemination of the image of the police.

  • After the intervention of Emmanuel Macron, the executive and the LREM deputies, under pressure in the face of the mobilization against this text and the dissemination of images of police violence, therefore recoil to “extinguish the doubts”.

  • "The flammable potential of article 24 has been underestimated", underlines the LREM deputy of Vienna Sacha Houlié, who abstained on the bill.

The government forced to back down.

A week after adopting the “comprehensive security” law in the Assembly, the majority will have to completely rewrite one of its articles.

"Because there is vagueness, and therefore perhaps a wolf, we made the choice of transparency and to put it right", conceded Christophe Castaner, boss of LREM deputies, during a press conference this Monday.

After a large mobilization this weekend against the bill and the dissemination of videos of police violence, Emmanuel Macron took things in hand on Monday.

The head of state called a meeting at the Elysee Palace to find a way out of the crisis concerning article 24, which plans to penalize the malicious dissemination of the image of the police.

“We have allowed trouble to set in […].

We must put out these doubts, ”conceded Christophe Castaner.

"We must prevent this article 24 from becoming our CPE or our deprivation of nationality"

“This text has been overtaken by the context.

The flammable potential of article 24 has been underestimated, ”says LREM deputy from Vienna Sacha Houlié, who abstained on the bill.

On the eve of the vote in the Assembly, on November 24, the images of the violent evacuation of migrants in Paris had sparked a first controversy.

Two days after the adoption of the text, the broadcast of a video showing a man, Michel Zecler, beaten up by the police, raised the tension.

“There was a collapse.

This aggression, which we have all condemned, did not help, ”admits Caroline Abadie, LREM deputy from Isère.

From Thursday evening, the executive tried to pave the way for a rewriting of article 24. But by proposing to entrust this task to an independent commission, the Prime Minister, Jean Castex, made the majority howl and had to backpedal from the next day.

“It created a lot of excitement, on all the benches.

Sometimes the remedies are worse than the evils… ”, blows the LREM deputy of Paris Hugues Renson, vice-president of the National Assembly.

The file went up to the upper floor this Monday at noon with the crisis meeting of the presidents of majority groups and the ministers concerned convened by Emmanuel Macron.

“We must prevent this article 24 from becoming our CPE or our deprivation of nationality,” adds Hugues Renson.

“At a certain point, stubbornness is no longer a solution.

The intention was laudable, but the text is poorly put together, the device poorly understood.

Let's play appeasement, concertation, and work on a new device.

"

A step back but without losing face

But in this retreat, the majority are trying to keep face.

Christophe Castaner assured this Monday that there would be "neither withdrawal nor suspension" of the famous article and insisted on the fact that parliamentarians will keep control of this bill, initiated by elected members of the majority and fiercely defended by the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin.

The elected LREM, MoDem and Agir (members of the majority) will meet Jean Castex and the ministers concerned this evening for "a first exchange".

One of the tracks, mentioned by Olivier Becht, head of deputies Agir, would consist in withdrawing article 24 of the text to recycle it in the bill against “separatism”, of which article 25 contains a very similar measure.

The latter must be presented on December 9 in the Council of Ministers.

“This bill has the advantage of targeting all agents and officials in this country, not just law enforcement.

It is an option to calm the debates a bit, ”says Caroline Abadie.

Another solution mentioned: wait for the law to return to the Assembly after its passage in the Senate in January.

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  • security

  • Emmanuel Macron

  • LREM

  • Majority

  • Gerald Darmanin

  • Police violence