“I’m not going to quit”, declares Grégoire de Fournas, guest of France Bleu Gironde on Monday, November 7, after being excluded for 15 days from the National Assembly. The RN deputy for Gironde was sanctioned for “demonstration disturbing order or which causes a tumultuous scene”, after having launched Thursday, November 3 in the hemicycle “that he(they) return(s) to Africa!” while the deputy (LFI) Carlos Martens Bilongo challenged the executive on its migration policy.
Grégoire de Fournas has accepted this sanction, but will not give up his mandate as deputy, “for the simple and good reason that the office retained neither the racist character, nor the insult vis-à-vis my colleague”. He condemns the severity of this sanction “for such a trivial reason. It’s a scandal”. The deputy of the National Rally denounces “a manipulation of La France insoumise which ultimately aims to somehow criminalize a political statement on immigration policy. We no longer have the right to say that we are against immigration policy as it is conducted” .
“We no longer have the right to say that the only solution for the SOS Méditerranée boats, which are in fact migrant smugglers’ boats, is to return to the ports of departure which are the African ports.”
Grégoire de Fournas, deputy RNat France Bleu Gironde
Grégoire de Fournas denies any accusation of racism: “The office (of the National Assembly, editor’s note) says that it is false, that what I said was not addressed to this deputy, that it was neither a racist remark, nor an insult and that it was a political statement. […] If I had told this deputy ‘that he is going back to Africa’, I would have perfectly understood that people would be outraged because I myself would have been.
The new president of the National Rally Jordan Bardella ruled Monday on RTL that Grégoire de Fournas’ remarks to the National Assembly on Thursday were not “not very thin”. The member for Gironde will not become party spokesperson because “it was not planned”, said Jordan Bardella. There was no “shelving”, adds the new president of the RN. “I was absolutely not expected to be at the national office”, confirms the deputy of Gironde. “Marine Le Pen supported me a lot during this affair. I had the support of Jordan Bardella who showed it on social networks. I had the support of my whole party in reality.”
Gregory of Fournas “the question arises of attacking the press [qui l’a accusé de racisme] in defamation”. Also questioned about certain tweets published which caused controversy, the deputy “assume” because they are “taken out of context”and sincerely believe “to be supported by a majority of French people who are fed up with the immigration policy as it is conducted.” A hundred people demonstrated Sunday, November 6 in front of the permanence of the deputy RN Grégoire de Fournas, in Pouillac (Gironde), in order to demand his resignation.