“Irregular migratory flows” from Afghanistan: Macron persists and signs – LCI

“We must anticipate and protect ourselves against the irregular and important migratory flows which would endanger those who use them, and would fuel trafficking of all kinds.” The sentence pronounced Monday evening by Emmanuel Macron during his address devoted to the situation in Afghanistan continues to make waves. So much so that the Head of State once again defended his words, Tuesday from Bormes-les-Mimosas (Var).

To television channels following his trip, the President of the Republic said: “I am not going to comment on comments based on truncated dispatches, I think it will all save a lot of energy and time for everyone who spends their day commenting to take 11 minutes of their time to listen. what I said.”

Already Monday evening, a few minutes after his speech and in response to the criticisms quickly expressed in reaction to these remarks, Emmanuel Macron had published two tweets resuming in video the passage concerned. In a message written in French and English, he already justified himself and indicated: “What I said this evening about Afghanistan and that some want to hijack: France is doing and will continue to do its duty to protect those who are most threatened.”

“France is very attentive to the situation of the Afghans”, had also indicated the Elysee on Tuesday afternoon, but “This does not prevent – which would be proof of naivety and lack of responsibility – from being very firm in the face of trafficking and networks that take advantage of poverty and fear”.

The left immediately accused Emmanuel Macron of maintaining a “confusion between asylum and irregular immigration”, in the words of the environmentalist deputy (ex-LaREM) Matthieu Orphelin. The candidate for the primary environmentalist Yannick Jadot said to himself “flabbergasted” to hear “that women, men and children fleeing Taliban hell are first of all a threat”.

“Macron shames France”, estimated the EELV mayor of Grenoble Eric Piolle, when the LFI deputy Adrien Quatennens accused the head of state of “stunt France” and that his colleagues Clémentine Autain and Eric Coquerel denounced a response “sordid”. Even whistleblower Edward Snowden, in a tweet, renamed the head of state “Emmanuel Le Pen”.

Several left-wing mayors including Martine Aubry (Lille, PS), Grégory Doucet (Lyon, EELV), Olivier Bianchi (Clermont-Ferrand, PS) and Eric Piolle (Grenoble, EELV) have said they are ready to welcome Afghan refugees in their municipality . “Emmanuel Macron, we have the capacity to welcome with dignity”, they assure.