Brieuc Frogier has been appointed special adviser to the cabinet of the Secretary of State to the Minister of the Interior and Overseas, in charge of Citizenship, Sonia Backès, according to the Official Journal Wednesday September 7, spotted by franceinfo.
During the presidential campaign, this elected loyalist to the Congress of New Caledonia, who called for a vote against independence in previous referendums, showed his support for Éric Zemmour. He even brought him his sponsorship. “It is with great pride that I brought today to the High Commission my sponsorship in favor of Éric Zemmour for the presidential election Z0ZZ”he wrote on Facebook on February 16.
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In December 2021, he explained the reasons for his support for the far-right candidate. Eric Zemmour “not only wishes that New Caledonia remain in France, but it outlines future prospects for New Caledonia”, he had explained to the 1st. In NouméaPost, he also declared “not to recognize oneself at all in the policy led by Emmanuel Macron in mainland France”. In March 2022, Simon Loueckhote, a former senator, explained to Demain en Nouvelle-Calédonie that Brieuc Frogier was withdrawing from the support committee for candidate Zemmour.
The recruitment of ministerial advisers is not subject to any political filter. “Each recruitment is at the discretion of the minister”, underlines a government source to franceinfo. Brieuc Frogier and Sonia Backès, the Secretary of State for Citizenship, sat together in the congress of New Caledonia.
This appointment arouses reactions among politicians and associations, on Twitter. “When the barriers fall… maddening to see how much the presidential party, which has made its fortune on the Republican front, has been increasing its outstretched hands to the far right since June. What conception of citizenship is he defending with this appointment?asks the First Secretary of the Socialist Party, Olivier Faure.
When the barriers fall… maddening to see the extent to which the presidential party, which has made its fortune on the Republican front, has multiplied its outstretched hands since June. What conception of citizenship is he defending with this nomination https://t.co/zOS604YWbt
— Olivier Faure (@faureolivier) September 7, 2022
“A supporter of Éric Zemmour during the presidential election becomes special adviser to Sonia Backès, secretary of state for citizenship (sic!). Élisabeth Borne, you cannot validate such a shocking recruitment within a ministerial cabinet“, is indignant for his part Dominique Sopo, president of SOS Racisme.
Government spokesman Olivier Véran was not aware of this appointment. “You teach me“, he indeed replied to the franceinfo reporter who questioned him on the subject, during a press briefing after the Council of Ministers, Wednesday, September 7. “The validation criteria are legal criteria: people must comply with the law, there may also be a referral to the High Authority for the Transparency of Public Life to check that there is no relationship and conflict of interest, and then it is at the discretion of the minister or the chief of staff to appoint the advisers“, however, he explained.