© Ludovic MARIN / AFPFrench MP Nicolas Dupont-Aignan
"I am the only one to ask for the reestablishment of national borders and for leaving Schengen," the self-described Gaullist politician told the CNews television channel on Friday.
Dupont-Aignan claimed that the entire French political class was opposed to the idea, although rightwing lawmaker Marine Le Pen did include it as part of her unsuccessful presidential campaign in 2017.
Le Pen subsequently toned down her anti-immigration rhetoric during the 2022 election cycle, but pledged to impose border checks - a measure that critics said violated the spirit of the Schengen free travel agreement.
Dupont-Aignan, who is the only MP from his Debout la France (France Arise) party in the national parliament, was commenting on the latest round of riots to grip the country during President Emmanuel Macron's tenure.
The MP accused the government of inaction and insisted Macron's policies have led to "forces of order" being diminished and barely able to defend essential services.
"It's not riots, it's guerrilla warfare. A challenge to France, to our institutions, by a population that seeks secession," Dupont-Aignan declared.
The latest violence was sparked by the killing by police of a 17-year-old boy of Moroccan and Algerian descent during a traffic stop on June 27.
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin estimated this week that the number of participants in the riots was between 8,000 and 12,000, with "only 10%" of them being non-French citizens. Most of those arrested were aged 17 or 18, but some were as young as 11, senior officials reported to the Senate on Wednesday.
Reader Comments
From the Guardian
[Link] Gaddafi warned Blair his ousting would 'open door' to jihadis Transcripts of 2011 calls reveal Libyan dictator predicted extremists would use his departure to start war in Mediterranean
Muammar Gaddafi warned Tony Blair in two fraught phone conversations in 2011 that his removal from the Libyan leadership would open a space for al-Qaida to seize control of the country and even launch an invasion of Europe.The transcripts of the conversations have been published with Blair’s agreement by the UK foreign affairs select committee, which is conducting an inquiry into the western air campaign that led to the ousting and killing of Gaddafi in October 2011.
Given Blair's truth telling history..Well is this article is nothing more than a fluff job of propaganda, thought, it would be useful, for those interested, for the information that was disseminated at the time, again another hit job of a leader of a country, that is non aligned with the west, and bonus Tony B Liar reaped financial reward...Wonder where that money went.