Pantheonization of Missak Manouchian: Le Pen will go to the ceremony despite the embarrassment of certain political leaders
Despite President Macron's wish not to see any elected representatives National gathering on Wednesday at the Pantheonization ceremony of Missak Manouchian, a communist resistance fighter who fought the Nazis during the occupation, Marine Le Pen will be present as head of the RN deputies, according to those around him.
The president of the far-right National Rally party, Marine Le Pen, October 6, 2023 (illustrative image). © CLEMENT MAHOUDEAU / AFP
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Marine Le Pen
, invited as president of the deputies of the National Rally (RN), will participate on Wednesday in the ceremony of transfer to the Pantheon in Paris of the ashes of Missak Manouchian, communist resistance fighter of Armenian origin shot by the Nazi occupier with his group foreign fighters.
A provocation, a gesture of indecency. The arrival of Marine Le Pen is incomprehensible for PCF elected officials. “
She should understand for herself that she has no place in a tribute to Missak Manouchian, who was a stateless person, who died for France. And she, in this case, is the representative of a political party which is the heir of collaboration
,” underlines senator Ian Brossat at the microphone of
Raphaël Delvolvé
.
The origins of the RN, formerly National Front, it is true founded by
Jean-Marie Le Pen
, former collaborators and an ex-Waffen SS. An argument in bad faith for the National Rally deputy. “
A certain number of heroes of the Resistance were in the National Front yesterday,”
defends RN spokesperson Laurent Jacobelli. And at a time when the people must be united, Marine Le Pen, sensitive to this unity, will represent the French who trust her.
Respect for institutional practices
The French head of state had on Sunday, in the communist newspaper
L'Humanité
, estimated that the absence of the RN at the ceremony was necessary "
given the nature of Manouchian's fight
". Marine Le Pen had denounced, via her entourage, the “
outrageous remarks
” of Emmanuel Macron. The president of the RN, Jordan Bardella, had estimated that “
the President of the Republic does not have to sort who according to him are the good and the bad elected officials of the French Republic
”.
Appearing in official ceremonies has been part of the RN's normalization strategy for several years. If it places the party outside the Republican arc. Emmanuel Macron recognized on Sunday in the communist newspaper
l'Humanité
that we could not ignore the 88 RN deputies.
A sort of inevitability, also shared by the president of the committee for entry into the Pantheon of Manouchian. The members of the committee supporting her entry into the Pantheon, the secular necropolis of French “Great Men”, consider the presence of Marine Le Pen at the ceremony “
unbearable ” even if they will respect
“institutional
” customs
. For Jean-Pierre Sakoun, the arrival of Marine Le Pen is not “
the greatest pleasure
”, but he says he respects “
institutions
”.
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