The Prime minister, Jean Castex, denounced Thursday the " excesses unacceptable ", in the face of criticism regarding the appointment as minister of the Interior of Gérald Darmanin, who is under investigation for rape. "Gérald Darmanin has the right to respect of the principles of the Republic, like all the citizens. We are witnessing the abuses that are unacceptable, I say it here with solemnity and gravity, " quipped Jean Castex at the issues of the day. The appointment to the government of Gérald Darmanin has been the day of the wrath of the feminist movement and criticism of a part of the political world, after having been accused by a woman of sexual coercion, what he denies.

in a column published In The World, a group of 91 "militant, intellectual, political women" feminist writing "this reshuffling of the French government represents a shift policy antiféministe, the scope of which far exceeds the borders of France," and " reinforces the backlash (backlash) against women, in violation of fundamental rights ".

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Jean Castex ensures to defend "the fundamental principles of the rule of law"

The senator socialist Murielle Cabaret has criticized the Prime minister his " unequivocal support for the minister of the Interior, without even waiting for the end of the judicial procedure ". She pointed out what she considers to be " a mistake ethics and policy of a symbolic violence unheard of ", which would be, according to it, to consider that " Gérald Darmanin is innocent, and that the victim is lying, in defiance of the principles of fairness in the adversarial and balance between the parties ", said that he was " very attached to the presumption of innocence ".

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Jean Castex responded that "it is not Gérald Darmanin [he] defends," but " the fundamental principles of the rule of law ". "It is in my soul and conscience that I made this proposal [to appoint Gérald Darmanin minister of the Interior, editor's NOTE]," added the head of government. "Your intervention, madam, presupposes, therefore, that I would be biased with my conscience, and, that, I do not allow you to say ", he added to the place of the senator PS.

" If it were proved that I'm wrong, I would draw all the consequences ", had said the day before Jean Castex in Paris. Thursday morning, Gérald Darmanin has, himself, said the victim, on "Europe 1", a " slander ". "I do not wish anyone to be wrongly accused and I do not wish not even to my worst enemy to be a victim of the hunt for the man that I am today," he added.

"beyond the presumption of innocence"

Interviewed on LCI on Thursday, Marlène Schiappa, minister for Citizenship, has also taken his defense and stated that" it is in fact beyond the presumption of innocence ", after the previous court decisions. During his interview on 14 July, Emmanuel Macron had also defended the appointment of Gérald Darmanin on behalf of the presumption of innocence.

Gérald Darmanin has been accused in 2017 of rape by a woman, Sophie Patterson-Spatz, who had sought in 2009, when he was chargé de mission in the legal affairs department of the UMP party (became RL), to try to overturn his conviction in 2004 for extortion and malicious calls against an ex-companion. According to his statements, Gérald Darmanin him would have dangled its support and she would have felt compelled to " go to pot ", as she explained to investigators. Gérald Darmanin has admitted to having a sexual relationship with this woman, but, according to him, is freely granted. Closed in a first time, the procedure has been revived by the Paris court of appeal, which was requested in early June for further investigations.