• The French army was accused on Wednesday of preferring a Chinese manufacturer to a traditional company in the Tarn for its order of sweaters, causing political controversy.

  • The ministry spokesperson denounced "fake news", while acknowledging that part of the production was made abroad.

  • Arnaud Montebourg, presidential candidate, denounces “relocations made up under cover of French brands”.

A simple piece of cloth can sometimes set a presidential campaign ablaze.

It must be said that the ingredients - French army, relocations, China, Made in France - formed an explosive cocktail.

This week, the French army was accused of preferring a Chinese manufacturer to a traditional company in the Tarn for its order of sweaters.

Several presidential candidates - Arnaud Montebourg, Marine Le Pen or Jean-Luc Mélenchon - saw the bankruptcy of Emmanuel Macron to protect our industries.

False information, which however reveals important debates to come on relocations or the protection of French markets.

Back to this controversy.

"With Macron, our taxes subsidize relocations"

The case begins with an article from the France Bleu site, published on Wednesday, on the sidelines of Arnaud Montebourg's trip to the Tarn the next day and entitled: "The French army chooses Chinese sweaters rather than Made in Tarn sweaters" . With this visit, the presidential candidate and champion of demondialization wishes to illustrate relocations and defend French know-how. In the article, we can indeed read that the army would have preferred a Chinese manufacturer rather than the Regain company, a Tarn factory with which it used to deal in recent years. On Twitter, several presidential candidates rush into the breach.

“With Emmanuel Macron, our taxes subsidize Chinese imports and relocations.

It is time for French money to support the French economy ”, denounces Marine Le Pen.

Same comment at Xavier Bertrand: "President Macron organizes exhibitions to present Made in France but lets our army choose Chinese sweaters for our soldiers: in terms of public order, there can be no" at the same time "", abounds the candidate LR.

“The French army buys sweaters in China rather than in the Tarn.

And do the Chinese military sell it too?

It would also be cheaper for shooters behind the back, ”accuses Jean-Luc Mélenchon.

A "fake news" for the army

Six months before the presidential election, the opportunity was too good: to point out the failure of the President of the Republic, who made reindustralisation a theme of his future campaign in 2022. But the army strongly denies the information regarding the Chinese market. On Twitter, the spokesperson for the ministry, Hervé Grandjean, denounced Thursday a “fake news”. He confirms that the Regain company did not obtain the call for tenders, but ensures that the contract, "carried out in accordance with the public procurement code", was won in September 2020 by two French companies: Saint James and Leo Minor. He also specifies that "the Ministry of the Armed Forces has notified Regain, under stimulus measures, of a contract of 500,000 euros for the supply of 15,000 jerseys".

Contacted by BFM Business on Thursday, the boss of Regain is also trying to put an end to the controversy, ensuring to keep good relations with the French army.

"We win roughly one in two markets," he said, pleading, however, for the introduction of new criteria in order to be more competitive against productions abroad.

"Offshoring made up under the guise of French brands"

But the “pullgate” affair does not end there.

Arnaud Montebourg persisted and signed the same day, denouncing “relocations made up under cover of French brands”.

Because if Saint James and Léo Minor are well established in France, part of the textile is produced abroad.

"The clothing is made either in France, in Morocco or in Tunisia," admits the spokesperson for the Armies on Twitter, without further clarification.

“Arnaud Montebourg has therefore raised a hare.

It's not China, but it's not France.

Leo Minor has no production site in France, it is indeed a massive relocation ”, assures François Cocq, spokesperson for the candidate.

“This case comes after the Famas was replaced by a German-made rifle, Austrian pistols or the abandonment of Manurhin [munitions industry] to an Emirati group.

It is time to defend our industry and our know-how, ”he adds.

A group of eight parliamentarians, under the aegis of Marie-Noëlle Lienemann, senator and supporter of Arnaud Montebourg, wrote this Friday to the Minister of Defense to obtain information on the "market for the supply of pullovers for the armies and, in particular, on the share of production carried out […] outside France ”.

On Twitter, the spokesperson for the Armies assured for his part that "78% of our suppliers for clothing are French, and half are SMEs and very small businesses", without however specifying whether these companies relocate their production or not.

Contacted by

20 Minutes

, the ministry had not answered our questions this late Friday afternoon.

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Use

Hauts-de-France: The boom in “made in France” textiles is lacking in arms

  • Industry

  • Made in France

  • Army

  • Relocation

  • Marine Le Pen

  • Arnaud Montebourg