It is a short sentence, barely audible to viewers, which stunned the National Assembly. Deputy RN Grégoire de Fournas caused a suspension of the session, Thursday, November 3, by interrupting a question from the black elected LFI Carlos Martens Bilongo on the fate of hundreds of migrants stranded at sea after being rescued in the Mediterranean. “Let him return to Africa”, launched the deputy of the Gironde, according to the official minutes of the meeting published on the site of the National Assembly. This sentence could just as well have been formulated in the plural since orality does not specify anything: “Let them go back to Africa.”
Who was Grégoire de Fournas aiming for? “My answer was about the boat and the migrants, obviously not my colleague”he assured on Twitter, in the evening, claiming to have spoken in the plural. In a previous version, he explained that he said: “Let him return to Africa”with reference to “SOS Mediterranean boat”. Carlos Martens Bilongo accuses him of having used the expression: “Go back to Africa”.
The deputy of the National Rally is summoned to explain himself, Friday, at 2:30 p.m., in front of the office of the National Assembly. The 22 elected members of this body, including two RN deputies, Sébastien Chenu and Hélène Laporte, must then decide on a possible sanction against him. The sequence at the heart of the controversy will be dissected at length, hence the interest in transcribing it as precisely as possible. Franceinfo offers you a verbatim, largely written from the official report.
Suspension of sitting: While the Member @BilongoCarlos asks a question about immigration in the Mediterranean, a sentence disrupts the session. “Who said that sentence?” request @YaelBRAUNPIVET which suspends the session.#DirectAN #QAG pic.twitter.com/SgKcgFeiYg
—LCP (@LCP) November 3, 2022
Carlos Martens Bilongo: Two hundred and thirty-four survivors rescued by theocean viking have been stuck on the deck of the boat for eleven days. For eleven days, they have been waiting to disembark in a safe port. Added to this are 79 people rescued on board the Humanity 1 from the German NGO [SOS Humanity]572 people rescued aboard the Geo Barents of the NGO Doctors Without Borders, a total of 952 survivors.
Gregory of Fournas: They are smugglers!
Carlos Martens Bilongo: I would like to say to the colleague from the Rassemblement national who, from the perch of the National Assembly, believes she can organize the rescue operations in the Mediterranean, with the greatest casualness and without any other merit than being born in a country in Peace: I’m telling you, don’t mind, their lives matter! (Applause from the benches of the LFI and Communist deputies. Sandrine Rousseau also applauds.)
L’ocean viking today sent its seventh request for assistance to the Italian maritime authorities. Malta, just as close, simply did not respond to the three requests made to it. This blocking of people is a serious violation of the law of the sea, and the assessment of the status and nationality of those rescued must not duly delay the disembarkation of survivors. (Same applause.)
I can only share the concern of these migrants, at a time when the new Italian Prime Minister has pledged to block the arrival of immigrants from Africa. What will be the action of the French government on this subject? What form will cooperation with Italy take? Are you going to take up the question of the distribution of migrants with other European countries, such as Malta, which no longer responds to requests for rescue coordination? The people rescued are in an absolute emergency. Weather forecasts indicate a significant deterioration in the climate…
Gregory of Fournas: May they return to Africa!
Carlos Martens Bilongo: (He pauses and looks up at the perch.) No way !
(Loud exclamations on the benches of the Nupes, then on the benches of the majority.)
Erwan Balanant (MoDem): Madam President, this is a scandal!
Sophia Chikirou (LFI): It’s racism !
Yaël Braun-Pivet (President of the National Assembly): Who is the deputy who has just pronounced this sentence? (The elected majority scrutinizes the benches of the RN group.)
Davy Rimane (Communist group): Racist!
Erwan Balanant: Out !
Constance Le Grip and several Renaissance deputies: Out !
Laure Lavalette and Caroline Parmentier (RN): He was talking about the boat!
Stéphane Peu (PCF): Racism is a criminal offence!
(The deputies of the Nupes stand up and chant: “Out!”)
Yael Braun-Pivet : I’m suspending for five minutes.
“Let them return(s) to Africa”: franceinfo has chosen to keep the parentheses to report the remarks made by the deputy RN Grégoire de Fournas, Thursday, November 3, at the National Assembly, whether in our titles, in our articles or in our live. Indeed, this sentence, expressed orally, could just as well have been pronounced in the singular (“Let him return to Africa”) or in the plural (“Let them return to Africa”).