In France, one of the close collaborators of the president of the Republic Emmanuel Macron is linked to a case of violence against protesters of the 1st of May.
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The 1st of May, a day to celebrate work, as well as a day for protests from unions in Paris, was notably marked by the clashes between some people that mixed with the protesters and who ended up being quite violent, to the point of destroying various shops. Estimations put at 1 200 the troublemakers who joined the marches from the unions, provoking the clashes, transforming the protests into some kind of battlefield.
There were various clashes between the troublemakers and the police. Between the clashes, one in were Alexandre Benalla, one of the advisers of the president Macron, as well as some policemen, were filmed hitting various protesters.
Once these videos went public, the Benalla case took a dangerous political course for the president. This case has been heavily mediatized, affecting the popularity of Macron. The Benalla case has become so big that some speak of a before and an after Benalla for Emmanuel Macron. This case has also shined some light on the poor decisions of the administration, as well as the gestion of the crisis by the government. The Élysée has been accused of trying to hide the case, and the first interventions of the president Macron haven’t been considered too well, colliding with the promises that the young president made during his election campaign. As a reminder, he had promised to bring back morality and transparency to French politics.
The plot twists in the Benalla case have affected Macron’s credibility as an exemplary head of state.
Since then, Benalla isn’t Macron’s adviser anymore, and has been sanctioned for his actions.
