Following his outburst, there are calls for Gregoire de Furnas, a 37-year-old member of Marine Le Pen’s National Rally, to resign or be fired.
Thursday, the French lower house of parliament was suspended after a member of the far-right yelled “go back to Africa” at a black legislator.
Carlos Martens Bilongo had challenged the centrist administration regarding a maritime rescue vessel carrying hundreds of passengers in the Mediterranean without a designated port.
Gregoire de Furnas, a 37-year-old supporter of Marine Le Pen’s National Rally, was responsible for the outburst. He later stated that his statements were not directed at Mr. Martens Bilongo, but rather at migrants attempting to reach Europe by sea.
After he finished speaking, other legislators yelled loudly at him and each other.
Premier Elisabeth Borne stated, “Racism has no place in our democracy.”
“The Bureau of the National Assembly will hold a meeting to determine the required sanction.”
The leader of President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist party, Stephane Sejourne, demanded that Mr. de Furnas resign, while the left-wing Nupes coalition demanded that he be ejected.
Today, the National Rally revealed its true nature, according to a statement by Nupes.
This racist term is typical of the far right: stigmatizing based on skin color and dividing the French people.
Ms. Le Pen, though, emphasized that her colleague committed no error, stating that he “clearly spoke about the migrants delivered by boat.
The French will not be fooled by the debate produced by our political adversaries.
Mr. Martens Bilongo, a 31-year-old former teacher and activist who entered politics, replied to the incident by stating, “I posed a question to the government, as is customary every week in the Assembly.
“Except that, I was unable to finish my question because a delegate from the National Rally shouted at me, ‘Go back to Africa!'”
“I never imagined hearing these words in the National Assembly. But bigotry always catches up, even in the republic’s most distinguished institutions.”
The lawmaker of French ancestry stated that even if the statements had been directed towards migrants instead of him, they would have been “unjustifiable,” adding, “Has racism become so ubiquitous that this sentence is now acceptable?”
This incident reminds us of what the far right is in France: the disrespect for institutions and the hatred of millions of our countrymen.
“On this past Thursday, I invited children from my constituency to the Assembly so that they may proudly see my question to the government.
“I am considering them. I shall continue to carry out my duties for them without ever having to defend myself based on my skin color.
And so that they might finally live free of the prejudice that is advancing in this country due to apathy.
