FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

News

Former Official in Far-Right French Party Accused of Torching Cars to Drum Up Fears Ahead of Election

A 25-year-old member of France’s National Front party allegedly torched 13 cars in a Paris suburb in an attempt to make insecurity a campaign issue.
Image via Blandine Le Cain / Flickr

A 25-year-old former member of the French National Front (FN) has been remanded in custody after being accused of torching 13 cars in the northeast Paris suburb of Mitry-Mory on the night of April 8.

Shortly after the incident, Adrien Desport — the far-right party's former number two in the Seine-et-Marne district — took to social media to denounce rising insecurity in the area. Five other FN members have also been accused of arson, and will remain under judicial supervision until their trial.

Advertisement

Several of the National Front's members have been hit by scandal in recent months, including the party's controversial founder, Jean-Marie Le Pen, who was suspended from the party in May over racist comments to the press.

The six young men were originally due to appear Wednesday before a criminal court in the northern town of Meaux, but their trial has been postponed to July 15 to give them time to prepare their defense. They stand accused of arson, criminal damage to private property and falsely reporting a crime. They have also been accused of vandalizing the car and home of two other local party members.

The false report accusation relates to a complaint filed by Desport on March 28, in which he reported that he had been assaulted with tear gas as he was putting up campaign posters ahead of local elections. According to Le Parisien, investigators searching Desport's home later found tear gas canisters, handcuffs, an amber flashing light, and a "gomme-cogne" — a handgun that shoots rubber bullets and is often used for self-defense.

According to the prosecutor's office, Desport was "the most involved" of the group, using the incident as a platform to campaign for the FN locally. The party — whose emblem depicts the French flag as a flame — has often canvassed for votes on security issues.

A few days after the incident, Desport took to Twitter and to his personal politics blog to denounce the arson, describing a surge in criminal activity in the area, and saying he and his neighbor had "seen the arsonist."

Advertisement

Et oui…7h du matin, tractage à Mitry-Mory, ville occupée par l'insécurité suite aux 20 véhicules brûlés ! — Adrien Desport (@DesportOfficiel)April 12, 2015

"Yep… 7am, flyering in Mitry-Mory, a town gripped by insecurity following the torching of 20 cars!"

He went on to outline the FN's proposed security measures, which included security cameras in "sensitive areas" and arming local police officers, and called for solidarity with the victims, urging locals to "carpool" with those who had lost their vehicles in the fire.

Despite exhorting locals to stick together, Desport appears not to have enjoyed the same level of support from his fellow FN members. According to French daily Le Monde, it was an FN official who gave the disgraced official up to the police.

Nathalie Pigeot, the FN's national federations secretary, told VICE News that the party had received "internal information" incriminating Desport. "There was a denunciation, an internal investigation, and the information was reported to the local police precinct because it was deemed credible."

Pigeot confirmed that the men had all been "suspended from the party," adding that she expected them to be permanently "excluded."

There is a long-standing tradition of FN officials embarrassing themselves and the party, and in February 2015, French daily Libération published a list of some of the most controversial comments made by party officials on social media.

Advertisement

"They are hoodlums, there is no solidarity for these people within the party," Pigeot told VICE News of the accused six, adding that the incident was "not a political one."

Desport has not yet responded to the accusations.

Related: France's Far-Right Family Implodes as National Front Founder Jean-Marie Le Pen Disowns His Daughter

Follow Matthieu Jublin on Twitter : @MatthieuJublin

Image via Blandine Le Cain / Flickr