Europe 1 with AFP 6:06 p.m., February 8, 2023

This Wednesday, Senator Hervé Marseille accused the Insoumis of transforming the National Assembly "into a gypsy camp" to oppose pension reform.

These remarks aroused outraged reactions which led him to regret his "verbal imprudence".

The Insoumis speak of "racist contempt" which must be condemned.

The president of the centrist UDI party, Senator Hervé Marseille, on Wednesday accused the Insoumis of transforming the National Assembly "into a camp of gypsies" to oppose the pension reform, arousing outraged reactions which led him to regret his "verbal recklessness".

"The image that LFI gives in particular is absolutely frightening," the senator, who heads this Union of Democrats and Independents (UDI) created in 2012 by Jean-Louis Borloo, told Radio J.

"Transforming the National Assembly into a gypsy camp ... It's not the Saintes-Maries-de-la-mer!", He launched.

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"Racist contempt"

These declarations aroused offended reactions from the Insoumis: "With racism on top of that? Shame", reacted on Twitter the coordinator of LFI Manuel Bompard.

"This racist contempt must be unanimously condemned... This verbal violence must stop," added MP Alexis Corbière.

The many reactions forced Hervé Marseille to post an update on Twitter.

"I must have been verbally reckless and obviously I didn't want to hurt anyone. I regret this situation," he said.

The senator again questioned the Insoumis, whom he accused of making a "nauseous" instrumentalization of his remarks.

LFI's instrumentalization of my remarks is nauseating. I surely showed verbal imprudence and I obviously did not want to hurt https://t.co/bF3GXoHqPs regret this situation. But look at what they do with the year!

– Herve Marseille (@HerveMarseille) February 8, 2023

"Degrade this Republic"

A little earlier, on Radio J, he had accused LFI of preventing the debate on pension reform from taking place in good conditions.

"When we see these permanent invectives, which we can no longer exchange, that we interrupt everyone", lamented the senator from Hauts-de-Seine, who is part of the right-wing majority in the Senate who approved at raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 four times.

"Let the street express itself, yes. Let it be taken into account, yes. But we must stop giving this spectacle and degrading this Republic", he insisted.

"The Assembly is the Republic: there are institutions, there is a constitution, there are people who are elected to discuss and, at some point, vote," he said.

"I am very worried about the way our Republic is deteriorating," added Hervé Marseille, who took over the presidency of the UDI at the end of last year.