July 25, 2018
President calls behaviour of bodyguard charged with gang violence ‘a betrayal’
Emmanuel Macron says he takes the blame over Benalla scandal
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has broken his silence over the scandal of his bodyguard who assaulted May Day demonstrators, saying: “I’m to blame.”
In a display of bravado during the worst crisis he has faced since his election 14 months ago, he said: “They can come and get me. I will answer to the French people.”

Speaking to his party’s MPs in Paris on Tuesday, Macron began with a joke about rumours of his relationship with his former security officer.
Alexandre Benalla has never had the nuclear codes. Alexandre Benalla has never lived in a 300 square metre [grace and favour] flat … Alexandre Benalla has never earned €10,000, neither has Alexandre Benalla ever been my lover,” Macron announced to applause and surprised laughter from his audience.
“Alexandre Benalla is someone who was with us during the [presidential] campaign, with lots of courage and engagement … I do not forget that engagement and the service he gave me.”
He said what happened on 1 May was “serious … and for me a disappointment and a betrayal. But that’s it”.
Benalla, a presidential aide and member of Macron’s inner circle, has been indicted for gang violence and impersonating a police officer after he attacked two demonstrators at the protest, at which he was supposed to be an observer.
The Élysée Palace, which knew about Benalla’s assault the following day, kept it quiet for more than two months. He was initially suspended from his job for two weeks, and it was only last week when Le Monde newspaper published video footage of the attack that police summoned Benalla for questioning. He was put under official investigation on Sunday and was sacked after the crisis escalated.
The assaults by Benalla and another member of Macron’s governing La République en Marche party are the subject of four investigations: two by parliamentary committees, a criminal investigation and a police investigation. Three high-ranking police officers were also indicted on Sunday after allegedly passing CCTV images of the assaults to Benalla.
Macron is under increasing pressure to explain why his office did not report Benalla’s actions to the police.He said there was no attempt to cover up the incident and he considered his staff had done “what they had to do”.
“What I know is that the following day, as soon as it was known, my staff at the Élysée took actions to punish him. The punishment was judged proportional,” he said.
“The only person responsible for this affair is me, and me alone. Who gave Benalla his trust? Me, the president of the republic. I’m the one who knew about it and approved the punishment. It was me, only me,” Macron said to cheers, applause and cries of “bravo”.
Macron’s comments about Benalla having the country’s nuclear codes came in response to an article on a satirical Belgian news website. Though the information was fake, some of it was retweeted by the opposition MP Eric Puget of Les Républicains before he apparently realised his mistake and deleted the tweet.
Macron’s second reference poked fun at another fake story, purporting to be a Le Monde article revealing that the pair were “more than friends”. The opposition MP Nadine Morano retweeted the fake page, adding: “Voila, why Benalla has such privileges and such protection”.
Macron’s remarks were criticised by Éric Ciotti of Les Republicains, who tweeted that the president “preferred to explain himself in the heart of his own little caste rather than give explanations the French are waiting for”.
Opinion polls suggest that people want Macron to explain himself publicly, and that the scandal has had a seriously negative effect on his popularity.
Benalla’s lawyer, Laurent-Franck Liénard, said his client had believed he was acting as a “good citizen” when he assaulted the two protesters, and described the scandal as a “non-event … overblown collective hysteria”.
“It’s not an affair of state, it’s an affair of summer,” he told BFMTV.
Liénard said Benalla considered his actions legitimate, and that while he realised he had overstepped the mark, he considered he had been helping police to neutralise two “troublemakers … who were violent and aggressive”.
Benalla had been traduced and would be speaking soon, he added. “Mr Benalla has never believed he can do what he likes, Liénard said. “He is a courteous, respectful man. He has nothing to reproach himself for. This man has been extremely badly treated by the media. He’s a young father, he has a baby, he’s a good man and he has been taken down.”
Related Stories
Latest News
Top news around the world
Academy Awards

‘Oppenheimer’ Reigns at Oscars With Seven Wins, Including Best Picture and Director

Get the latest news about the 2024 Oscars, including nominations, winners, predictions and red carpet fashion at 96th Academy Awards

Around the World

Celebrity News

> Latest News in Media

Watch It
Ruby Franke’s Husband REVEALS Alleged Rules He Had to Follow at Home | E! News
March 28, 2024
_mU-3lE2QwI
#KenanThompson speaks out following the #QuietonSet documentary. (🎥: Tamron Hall Show) #shorts
March 28, 2024
8AGP-Gfw_Ek
King Charles Shares "Great Sadness" at Missing Royal Appearance | E! News
March 28, 2024
lyizFqf1kQY
Martha Reeves Walk of Fame Ceremony
March 27, 2024
QzyezumEPtQ
Eminem, 50 Cent & Snoop Dogg Present Dr. Dre with a Star on the Walk of Fame
March 19, 2024
4bNLs1hxVp8
Opening Remarks for the Variety Summit October 20th, 2023 Jay Penske
March 18, 2024
c6Z707iLq8E
Montell Jordan Dishes On Young MC Wedding, 'This Is How Date Night' Plans | TMZ
March 28, 2024
G3SMExj-qio
Davina Potratz Says TV Not Helping 'Selling Sunset' Relationship Woes | TMZ
March 28, 2024
D4piy4GNm4k
Logan Paul Rips Graham Bensinger Over Documentary, You Promised Apple TV+ | TMZ Live
March 28, 2024
NiSDpZhZklQ
Prince William pinned royal medal to Spice Girl Mel B’s boobs #shorts
March 28, 2024
O1cQ0UW9pco
Jennifer Garner shares ‘hard’ part of raising her and Ben Affleck’s kids
March 28, 2024
3Q7mZaVUdgc
50 Cent's ex Daphne Joy named as an alleged sex worker in Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs lawsuit #shorts
March 28, 2024
yhLFI8DG9rM
TV Schedule
Late Night Show
Watch the latest shows of U.S. top comedians

Sports

Latest sport results, news, videos, interviews and comments
Latest Events
28
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Playoffs - Women
PSG W - Hacken W
28
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Playoffs - Women
Barcelona W - SK Brann W
27
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Playoffs - Women
Chelsea W - Ajax W
27
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Playoffs - Women
Lyon W - SL Benfica W
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Atletico Madrid - Barcelona
17
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Manchester United - Liverpool
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Inter Milan - Napoli
17
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
Borussia Dortmund - Eintracht Frankfurt
17
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Chelsea - Leicester City
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Roma - Sassuolo
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Verona - AC Milan
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Juventus - Genoa
16
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
Darmstadt - Bayern Munich
16
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Manchester City - Newcastle United
16
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Fulham - Tottenham Hotspur
16
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Osasuna - Real Madrid
13
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Atletico Madrid - Inter Milan
12
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Barcelona - Napoli
12
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Arsenal - Porto
Find us on Instagram
at @feedimo to stay up to date with the latest.
Featured Video You Might Like
zWJ3MxW_HWA L1eLanNeZKg i1XRgbyUtOo -g9Qziqbif8 0vmRhiLHE2U JFCZUoa6MYE UfN5PCF5EUo 2PV55f3-UAg W3y9zuI_F64 -7qCxIccihU pQ9gcOoH9R8 g5MRDEXRk4k
Copyright © 2020 Feedimo. All Rights Reserved.