Rassemblement National Boycotts Parliamentary Inquiry into October 17 Protest Violence

The Rassemblement National (RN) has announced its boycott of the parliamentary inquiry commission investigating the violence that erupted during protests on October 17. Marine Le Pen, leader of the RN deputies, expressed her strong disapproval over the exclusion of RN members from the commission's selection of rapporteurs, asserting that this compromises the commission's legitimacy.

The inquiry commission, chaired by Vincent Caure from the Renaissance party, appointed three rapporteurs — Agnès Firmin Le Bodo from Horizons, Roger Vicot from the Socialist party, and Pouria Amirshahi from the Ecologist and Social group — through a secret ballot. Le Pen criticized Caure for not ensuring a fair political representation, a condition the RN had previously set for participating in the commission.

She pointed to the left-wing affiliations of the rapporteurs and highlighted Amirshahi's past remarks on police violence and Vicot's support for legislation limiting police firearms use as evidence of political bias. Le Pen stated that the commission is "discredited" before work has even started, underscoring concerns about potential alliances among other political factions influencing the inquiry.

This boycott announcement marks a significant political response to the parliamentary probe into the protest violence, raising questions about the commission's perceived impartiality and the broader political dynamics surrounding the investigation.