Raphaël Glucksmann targeted, the left divided – Libération

European elections 2024 fileAfter the attack targeting the PS-Place publique candidate, exfiltrated from a May 1 parade in Saint-Etienne, Jean-Luc Mélenchon denounces hasty accusations against LFI.

Under boos, his coat stained with jets of paint, Raphaël Glucksmann walks away from the May 1 procession. The head of the PS and Place publique list in the European elections was attacked by a few dozen activists this Wednesday, May 1 in Saint-Etienne (Loire). He had to be exfiltrated from the rally he wanted to join under cries of “Palestine will live” or “Glucksmann get out of there”.

“What is certain is that there were flags of political parties. There were flags of permanent revolution [un mouvement trotskiste, ndlr] and rebellious France,” he said just after the incident, in which the accused deny having participated. “These attacks are the result of months of hatred and slander cleverly orchestrated by rebels and others,” he then denounced on weeks. Reporting “messages of hate received by the thousands – very often with anti-Semitic connotations” – the essayist deplored an attack “symptomatic of the brutalization of public life in our country in recent times”, “sickening and dangerous methods for democracy”. A “climate of violence” according to him “maintained by politicians converted into engineers of chaos”, a reference to the book by Giuliano da Empoli, which dissects the rise of populism.

Political condemnations were not long in coming. “All the dividers play against their camp and show that they share the same conception of the debate as those who muzzle it with bans,” lamented Olivier Faure, the First Secretary of the PS. His communist counterpart, Fabien Roussel, for his part affirmed that “nothing justifies that Raphaël Glucksmann was excluded”, while the Prime Minister, Gabriel Attal, recalled that “politics can sometimes be a fight in the noble sense of term, but it must always be done with respect for the integrity of people.

Classic left position

Jean-Luc Mélenchon also reacted, claiming to “totally disapprove” of this expulsion, while attacking: “This action provides […] a victim role for Glucksmann who takes the opportunity to accuse us.” A little later, the rebellious leader added: “Raphaël Glucksmann, apologize! You accused LFI of your expulsion from the May 1 demonstration. We objected. You and your PS leaders continued on the basis of your accusations. The JC of 42 claimed responsibility for this action.” The Twitter account of the young communists of the Loire has in fact published the photo of a banner “Glucksmann clears JC 42”, despite the condemnations of the national authorities.

Glucksmann’s entourage, however, holds the rebellious galaxy responsible. “This is not surprising, given the campaign of lies and slander orchestrated by LFI on Raphaël’s positions on Gaza,” denounces a collaborator. Since the start of the campaign, rebels have targeted the MEP, accusing him of a double standard between the war in Ukraine and Gaza. The head of the socialist list, however, fits into the classic position of the left: condemnation of the massacre in Gaza, call for the release of the hostages, defense of the two-state solution. Unlike the rebels, he refuses the term “genocide”, which is debated in international law, preferring to speak of “carnage”. “Their attacks do not take hold, people see that double standards, he is on the side of the rebels,” counter-attacked a relative a few days ago, referring to the press release published by LFI just after the terrorist attack of 7 October, which spoke of an “armed offensive by Palestinian forces”. “On Gaza, Glucksmann was consistent from start to finish,” he continued. He refuses to talk about genocide, because he worked on Rwanda, it had an impact on him, he knows what it is, he saw mass graves with his own eyes.

“I feel that some want to attack me on my origins,” confided in January the son of the philosopher André Glucksmann, an orphan of the Shoah. As he climbed in the polls, now a few points behind Valérie Hayer, the Renaissance candidate, the attacks spread, particularly to his years in Georgia. Between 2000 and 2012, the essayist was “special advisor” to Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, convicted of “abuse of power” and considered a “political prisoner” by the Council of Europe. “Glucksmann was employed by a mini-dictator,” attacked a rebellious MP a few days ago.

A sign of feverishness

As the days went by, the climate between socialists and rebels became more and more tense. In mid-April, after the banning of a conference by Jean-Luc Mélenchon and Rima Hassan on Palestine at the University of Lille, the former presidential candidate had already targeted the deputy Jérôme Guedj, after the latter pointed to the logo of the association behind the event. “What does this mean for the future of Israel?” had questioned the socialist about this map which did not demarcate the West Bank, Gaza and Israel, without calling for a cancellation of the conference. Mélenchon, who trained the young socialist in Essonne and shared a political life with him, then portrayed “a coward of that human variety that we all know, the informers, those who like to whisper in the ear of the master”.

The socialists want to see in this violence a sign of the feverishness of their former allies, who are at 7% in the polls. A rebel evacuates: “I have always said it to the Nupes partners: if we don’t campaign together, I will destroy you, that’s how it is, it’s not the Korean demilitarized zone.”