She has a good chance of being the candidate stamped by The Republicans for the 2022 Presidential. Arrival of a hair in second position Thursday, December 2, 2021 of the first round of the internal primary, and supported by the three other candidates in the running, Valerie Pécresse has been unleashing passions for a few hours in Toulouse. Among local right-wing activists, but also… among the opposition!

An “area of ​​absolute lawlessness” to “eradicate”

During the last televised debate between the candidates, Tuesday on France 2, on the issue of security, the president of the Île-de-France region made a remarkable allusion to Toulouse. By evoking the failure of the “62 republican reconquest zones identified by the government”, she took the example of three districts in France, including that of Mirail, which according to its terms “Areas of absolute lawlessness”, that it intends to “eradicate” during “punch operations”, and if necessary “at a given moment”, with “The support of the army”.

The LR nomination contestant then indicated that she should be selected “Aggravating circumstances when a crime or an offense is committed in a Republican reconquest zone ”.

Here is precisely what Valérie Pécresse said during this debate:

.@vpecresse : “I want aggravating circumstances when a crime or an offense is committed in a zone of republican reconquest so that the Republic really reconquers the ground. #congressLR # Elysee2022 pic.twitter.com/Jl94Tt4l5p

– France Inter (@franceinter) November 30, 2021

“Scandalous stigma” for Antoine Maurice

An exit which makes the Toulouse opposition jump. Antoine Maurice, leader of the environmental group in the City Council, which had worn the colors of Archipel Citoyen in the race for the Capitol, and which supports green Yannick Jadot for the Presidential, denounced “a scandalous stigmatization” and called on the mayor Jean-Luc Moudenc to condemn these remarks “which dishonor our city and its inhabitants”.

Mrs @vpecresse who neither lives nor goes to #Mirail qualify this neighborhood #Toulouse of “zone of absolute no-right” to “eradicate”: a scandalous stigma. @jlmoudenc I hope you will condemn his words which dishonor our city and its inhabitants. https://t.co/lFeUq0VXVy

– Antoine MAURICE (@AntoineMAURICE) December 1, 2021

“Caricature and above ground”, for François Piquemal

“Caricature and above ground”, a clutch Francois Piquemal, who chairs the Alternative Métropolitaine Citoyenne group and supports the rebellious Jean-Luc Mélenchon for the Presidential. The elected recalls in passing that the spokesperson for the group “Aimer Toulouse”, Pierre Esplugas-Labatut is “one of the national ‘speakers’ of Ms. Pécresse”.

Ms. # Pécresse on the #Mirail in Toulouse, a district where I work, as a zone of “lawlessness” are caricatured and above ground.

I hope that @jlmoudenc and the @ republicains31 quickly dissociate themselves from the words of this candidate for the nomination of their party. https://t.co/TwahdPD2mA

– François Piquemal (@FraPiquemal) December 1, 2021

In a statement, his group also denounced “a stigmatization of the Mirail district and its inhabitants caricatured and degrading”. He also asks the mayor to “To dissociate”.

“The inhabitants of Mirail who are already experiencing many difficulties related in particular to access to employment, the elimination of public services, pollution, do not deserve to see their neighborhood thus instrumentalised and threatened”.

In the same vein, other voices close to the Toulouse opposition have added to this controversy.

Moudenc: “We all know that Mirail has lawless areas”

Asked about this controversy by News Toulouse, the mayor Jean-Luc Moudenc considers that “the Mirail includes areas of lawlessness”, but considers that “should not generalize”.

“We all know that the Mirail has lawless areas even if it is not a question of generalizing for such a large district, nor of stigmatizing it”.

Recourse to the army? “He can only be punctual” said the mayor

Having also announced that he would vote Valérie Pécresse in the second round of the LR congress, Jean-Luc Moudenc also considers “that the aggravating circumstances must be required for the offenses committed there can only go in the direction of the protection of the inhabitants concerned ”, and he advances:“ I am therefore in favor, subject to verification of the constitutionality of this measure ”.

As for the sulphurous passage of Valérie Pécresse on recourse to the army, Jean-Luc Moudenc wants to be cautious, but he visibly shares the line of the Republican candidate here again: “He can only be punctual and on very specific objectives, when the classic action of the police. national meeting of the limits of effectiveness of nature such that the intervention of soldiers constitutes an adapted response ”.

Has this article been useful to you? Note that you can follow Actu Toulouse in the Mon Actu space. In one click, after registration, you will find all the news of your favorite cities and brands.