Minister of the Interior at the time of the November 13 attacks, Bernard Cazeneuve testified on Wednesday November 17 before the special assize court in Paris. “I say it solemnly, I have never received a note from the services under my responsibility informing me of a threat targeting the Bataclan”, notably launched the former minister during his hearing.
“This trial is an extremely important moment for our nation”, began Bernard Cazeneuve, called as a witness by the civil party. “It testifies to the capacity of France to remain upright in the tests in the name of the love of freedom and in the respect of the principles of the rule of law”.
For the former Prime Minister, France experienced in 2015 “an unprecedented wave of attacks” who gave birth “a feeling that the French shared: grief”. “When an attack occurs, it is a failure, a failure painfully experienced by those who mobilized”, admitted Bernard Cazeneuve before pointing out that “the role of the authorities is to draw all the lessons from this failure to improve our actions in the fight against terrorism”.
Bernard Cazeneuve insists that he has been “very hurt” by criticism aimed at the police. “Not in a personal capacity but for them. I am only a passing minister. Those whom we remember, we count them on the fingers of half a hand” # 13November
– Catherine Fournier (@cathfournier) November 17, 2021
The former minister listed in detail the plan to strengthen the equipment of the anti-crime brigades (BAC) of the national police and the surveillance and intervention platoons of the gendarmerie (Psig) that he put in place from October 2015. He also spoke of his fight in the European Union to change the reform of the Schengen Borders Code or the establishment of the register of air passenger data (PNR).
Bernard Cazeneuve: “The terrorists want to call into question the unity and indivisibility of the Nation. The difficulty of the fight against terrorism is to be implacable towards those who seek to attack us and not to give in on them. principles of law. ” # 13November
– Catherine Fournier (@cathfournier) November 17, 2021
Returning to the five weeks devoted to the testimonies of survivors and families of victims, Bernard Cazeneuve said he had “was very impressed and touched to the heart by the force of these testimonies, by the revealed violence and also by the dignity of the words made by the victims and their deep humanity”. He also paid tribute to the gendarmes and police officers killed “loosely” in terrorist attacks.
“Words will always be too weak to express gratitude” with regard to these police officers, he also said, citing in particular the names of Ahmed Merabet, Franck Brinsolaro, Jessica Schneider, Jean-Baptiste Salvaing and Arnaud Beltrame.