Stéphane Le Rudulier: “There is a feeling of impunity in Marseille”

Against the violence in Marseille football, the ravages of drugs and the trivialization of anti-Semitism in France's second city, Stéphane Le Rudulier, LR senator from Bouches-du-Rhône, member of the commission of inquiry into drug trafficking , calls for a safe “electroshock”.

LE FIGARO. - How do you explain the recent violence against Olympique Lyonnais players in Marseille?

Stéphane LE RUDULIER. - We have allowed a feeling of impunity to develop around the scum of Marseille football who are ruining the life of an entire club and a city whose heart beats for OM! There is a zone of impunity around football in Marseille. These fake supporters are delinquents, they threaten their own coach and club president, they attack the opposing team. We must end this impunity. Being a pseudo-supporter gives no rights and no immunities. No one is above the law, in football in particular, because it is a universal sport which serves as an example to young people.

When we see that a certain Rachid Zeroual, president of the South Winners, was imprisoned for violence, brawls, ransacking the Commanderie training site while boasting of having threatened coaches, including Didier Deschamps, we wonder. asks how such an individual can still represent the supporters. The real supporters are sorry for this behavior, which is killing football, killing OM. Let's look at the magnificent rugby spirit of this World Cup! We must take the example of oval ball, a sport of gentlemen and deep respect on and off the field.

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Buses of players and supporters were stoned while under police escort. What additional resources can be required?

Protect the grounds, the public, the teams and their staff by eradicating violent individuals and groups from football. A player bus cannot be guarded as Fort Alamo! I am calling for an electric shock, taking the example of the British, who stopped hooliganism. Stadium bans must be extended to at least ten years and for life in the event of a repeat offense. We must display the faces of these thugs at the entrance to the stadiums. Let’s dare to “name and shame”. On match nights, it is necessary to make it compulsory to check in at the police station near the homes of people banned from stadiums. Finally, we must dissolve the most violent groups of supporters, who tarnish football and the love of jerseys.

Emmanuel Macron had opened several projects on the security front in Marseille. What is the outcome of his action?

The police resources are there, but President Macron's blind spot is justice, because the criminal chain is broken for lack of prison places. The impunity of delinquents and criminals is fueled by the failure of this penal chain. But the biggest person responsible for the wildness of Marseille is its mayor, Benoît Payan, who refuses video surveillance. There are 18 cameras per 10,000 inhabitants in Marseille compared to 72 in Nice, double that in Aix-en-Provence. He sets up shooting rooms in the heart of the city, which normalizes drug consumption and trafficking. Indirectly, the mayor sides with the drug traffickers.

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But I would also like to point out another emergency in Marseille, where, today, the Jewish community is threatened by Islamism and atmospheric anti-Semitism, which permeate the radical fringes of certain communities. Several physical attacks took place, a student wearing a kippah was beaten in the street with shouts of “Dirty Jew. You dirty race, I’m going to kill you!”. A well-known CGT official defended terrorism. We heard the same slogans in banned pro-Palestinian demonstrations. The left-wing town hall refused to display the Israeli flag in the city while Paris lit up the Eiffel Tower. The municipal majority has shown no support for Israeli democracy under attack. They are too afraid of offending their community electorate. Yes, Marseille is hostage to a communitarianism corrupted by hatred of Jews.

The right regularly denounces the tragedy of insecurity in this city, particularly in its neighborhoods plagued by drug trafficking. What do you propose ?

The massive development of video protection everywhere and for everyone. The dismantling of all shooting rooms. Displaying the faces of convicted drug dealers in transport and free display areas. Finally, a major law against drug traffickers, with minimum prison sentences. We must prohibit their return to their neighborhood after their sentence, exclude them from social housing and cut benefits for families of juvenile delinquents. The Senate commission of inquiry against drug trafficking will provide numerous answers and solutions.

I salute this extremely courageous initiative from the president of our group, Bruno Retailleau. For his part, Éric Ciotti, president of the Republicans, is right to ask for “name and shame”. I also know that Martine Vassal, president of the Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis, and Renaud Muselier, president of the South region, are fighting to improve security in Marseille. But I say be careful! In less than a year, Marseille will host the football and sailing events, as part of the Olympic Games. No slippage should be allowed. Without this, the city's image will suffer irreparable damage in the eyes of the whole world.