a campaign visual of the National Rally castigated by the boss of the national gendarmerie

Marine Le Pen’s party published on Sunday a photograph of a gendarme accompanied by a text calling to vote for Jordan Bardella’s list on June 9.

It is a campaign visual among many others, but it arouses the anger of the director of the national gendarmerie. We see a gendarme in uniform and bulletproof vest, from behind. In this photo, the message “I am a gendarme, on June 9, I vote for Bardella!”, was added by the National Rally (RN) in view of the European elections. Posted Sunday June 2 on the social network “military status”.

“You seem to be unaware that military status prohibits this type of message. And the least we can expect is for you to respect the gendarme and his status, in these periods when his commitment can lead him to the worst consequences”protests the director general of the national gendarmerie on X, believing that the message is “inadmissible”.

Requested by the AFP, the RN considered that the publication was “completely legal”the image does not show “the face of a policeman”. “We publish visuals on many professions”further argued the party with the flame, in particular with reference to another poster displaying the slogan “I am a soldier, I vote Bardella”illustrated with a close-up of a person in profile wearing a French military uniform, without showing their face.

According to the government website Public Service, “the duty of reserve designates the obligation imposed on all public officials to demonstrate reserve and restraint in the written and oral expression of their personal opinions”, “during and outside working hours”. The Defense Code also provides that “opinions or beliefs, particularly philosophical, religious or political, are free. However, they can only be expressed outside of service and with the reservation required by the military state. This rule applies to all means of expression.”