Alexandre Benalla, who had been Macron's top bodyguard for a long time and was always by his side, was taken into custody for police questioning over the incident, which took place when Benalla appeared at May Day protests wearing a riot helmet and police tags. Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, dismissed the head of his personal security detail on Friday, but he faced criticism for his delay. The video showed the man posing as a police officer and beating a protester while he was off duty.
He was initially allowed to return to work after a 15-day suspension. Only days prior he was found out in the open assisting with arranging security for festivities for the arrival of France's Reality Cup champion soccer group.
A parliamentary inquiry has been launched by lawmakers into the incident itself, the light initial sentence, and the authorities' failure to promptly report Benalla to the judiciary. The video, which was made public on Wednesday by the newspaper Le Monde, shows Benalla dragging a woman out of a protest and then beating a man who was there. On Friday, French media delivered a second video that showed Benalla likewise mistreating the lady.
While the president's office had granted him permission to observe the security operation at the protests, he was not authorized to participate in police work. The allegations that the president's office only responded after the nearly three-month-old videos became public were dismissed. It said the choice had now been taken to fire Benalla on the grounds that the guardian had inappropriately gotten a record while attempting to present his defense over the allegations.
An official at the presidential palace told Reuters, "New facts that could constitute a misdemeanor by Alexandre Benalla were brought to the president's attention." Accordingly, the administration has chosen to begin Alexandre Benalla's excusal methodology."
Macron's critics described the president's sluggish response as typical evidence of his lack of comprehension. It follows contentions over government spending on true porcelain, a pool at an official retreat, and cutting comments by the president about the expenses of government assistance.
On Thursday, lawmakers in the lower house agreed to start a parliamentary inquiry after hours of discussion. "Why did he keep this person safe? Is he in charge of a separate police force? On Twitter, senior conservative Republican Eric Ciotti stated, "Refusing to answer makes (Macron) complicit in these acts of violence."
According to a number of French media outlets, Interior Minister Gerard Collomb, who requested an internal police investigation into the incident on Thursday, was aware of the video on May 2, the day it was shot. According to judicial sources, Benalla was being questioned regarding both the incident itself and his acquisition of police footage of it following Le Monde's report. The interior ministry stated that three police officers were suspended on Friday, two of whom were believed to have passed the footage to Benalla.
According to judicial sources, a second man, who worked for Macron's political party and was with Benalla during the protests and was also seen shoving a protester, was also taken into custody on Friday. Police likewise scrutinized Macron's head of staff, Patrick Strzoda, who at first took care of the matter in May.
After the 15-day suspension, Benalla was carried once again into the president's quick company. He shows up in numerous photographs close by Macron during public occasions and confidential excursions, incorporating a skiing occasion in December.
According to Harris pollsters political expert Jean-Daniel Levy, "This is an extremely bad phase for the president, and I am not sure that reacting late will change the situation." It confirms the impression of a person who tends towards authoritarianism and displays occasional arrogance.
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