France: A merciless war, Darmanin will dissolve agroup very close to Le Pen and Bardella

By:Souleymane Loum

The Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, is known for his uncompromising view against Islamists, as evidenced by the current expulsions of several radicals. Nevertheless, Darmanin is also notably tough on far-right groups and their penchant for violence, having already dissolved some of these organizations. He is now poised to take important action against a larger target, the GUD (Union Defense Group), a far-right student organization notorious for its activities.

Darmanin revealed this Wednesday, June 19, on BFMTV that he will “propose very soon” to President Emmanuel Macron the dissolution of the GUD. He emphasised the group’s troubling connections, stating, “Not all of Madame Le Pen’s friends are extremely democratic, that’s for sure,” and noting that some members are on the S file, which is employed to monitor potential threats to national security. Darmanin clarified that his criticism is not aimed at the voters of the National Rally (RN), whom he respects for voicing their outrage, but rather at the undemocratic elements within the party’s leadership.

The GUD, “It is rather individuals who think that there is white supremacy, who make solemn anti-Semitic remarks…” proclaims the minister, who admits in passing that he has been cooking up this dissolution for 9 months—a way of anticipating accusations of politicization of the Police and Justice. Indeed after the win of the RN in the European elections and a repeat in the legislative elections – according to the polls – it will be very difficult to convince Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella that Darmanin is not on a political streak to further tarnish the reputation of the far right.

Last week four ultra-right activists were convicted for a homophobic attack in Paris while they were “celebrating” the RN results in the European elections. In police custody they did not hesitate to make “paramilitary claims and affiliation with the GUD and the National Rally”, reports the prosecution. Among the defendants was Gabriel Loustau, 23, a distinguished member of the GUD and son of Axel Loustau, a former activist in this student organization, former RN elected official and who belonged to Marine Le Pen’s circle.

According to the newspaper Libération, one of those held in police custody threw the police in the face: “Hopefully in three weeks, we will be able to break PD as much as we desire.” These are also the friends or “ex-friends” of Ms Le Pen and Mr Bardella, despite the speech which was polished to erase all the fascist rough edges, despite the thorough cleaning which was done in the entourage to demonize the far right and prepare it for the supreme office, even if, already, the RN is beginning to test the limits of the dreams it sold to its voters.

As a reminder, Marine Le Pen, an attorney, has defended members of the GUD in the past when they had trouble with the law, for the same violent excesses; the same GUD who was behind the neo-Nazi demonstration in the middle of Paris on May 11. You will no longer discover anyone in the RN to take on this opprobrium which sticks to the extreme right, but the facts are stubborn and all this is too fresh for French voters to forget it. They had better remember this June 30 and July 7 before slipping their ballots into the ballot box…

The far right, whatever it states, is not and will never be a party like the others. I say this, particularly to the Muslims of France who gave in to the sirens of Marine Le Pen and voted for Bardella in the European elections. Attention !