Prefects "don't need lessons in impartiality": French minister clashes with Mélenchon

A verbal clash erupted between Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the founder of La France Insoumise (LFI) party, and Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez over the impartiality of state officials, specifically prefects.

During the summer university event of his movement, Mélenchon accused prefects of initiating "lawsuits" against LFI deputies and called for an "impartial state." He urged prefects to "return to their offices and stop suing" LFI deputies, emphasizing that they should not be judged based on their political affiliation, address, or skin color.

Minister Nuñez responded strongly on social media, asserting that prefects "do not need to receive lessons in impartiality." He described them as "servants of the state" and "guarantors of national interests and the respect of laws and the principles of our Constitution," acting with neutrality and for the general interest. Nuñez stated that questioning their role or telling them to "return to their office" deeply misunderstands their service to the Republic.

This exchange follows previous tensions, including lawsuits filed by prefects against LFI members in recent months. Last year, the prefect of Val-d'Oise, Philippe Court, and Nuñez, then prefect of police of Paris, filed complaints against two LFI deputies for allegedly claiming "the police kill."

The Association of the Prefectural Corps and Senior Officials of the Ministry of the Interior (ACPHFMI) had previously announced its intention to file a complaint against Mélenchon for "threats," underscoring the ongoing friction between the radical left movement and state representatives.