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A French judge has charged one of President Emmanuel Macron’s top security aides after video surfaced that showed him beating a protester at a May Day demonstration.
Key points:
- Alleged offences include violence and interfering in the exercise of public office
- Three police officers and one other were also charged
- It’s the first major political crisis facing Macron since he entered office
The initial charges against Alexandre Benalla came the same day French authorities opened a judicial investigation into the assault.
The multiple alleged offences included violence, interfering in the exercise of public office and the unauthorised public display of official insignia.
The video made public by Le Monde newspaper has sparked the first major political crisis for Mr Macron since he took office last year.
A source close to the presidential palace said work was to begin on a reorganisation of Mr Macron’s private office to prevent such events happening again.
Politicians and the President’s political opponents have questioned why Mr Benalla was not fired and referred for prosecution when presidential officials learned about the beating months ago.
The recording shows Mr Benalla, who is not a police officer, wearing a police helmet at the May 1 protest.
Photo: Alexandre Benalla (left) accompanies President Emmanuel Macron on the campaign trail in 2017. (AP: Christophe Ena)Surrounded by riot police, he dragged a woman from the crowd and then repeatedly beat a young male protester on the ground.
The man was heard begging Mr Benalla to stop. The officers did not intervene.
Four others were also charged: Vincent Crase, who worked for Mr Macron’s party and was with Mr Benalla on the day of the protest, and three police officers who were suspected of illegally passing footage from the event to Mr Benalla.
Mr Crase was handed preliminary charges of violence and prohibited possession of a weapon.
Mr Benalla, 26, handled Mr Macron’s campaign security and remained close to France’s youngest president after his election.
The presidential palace initiated proceedings to fire Mr Benalla on Friday and investigators raided his house on Saturday.
Pressure mounts on President’s office
Photo: Emmanuel Macron’s security chief Alexandre Benalla (centre) has been sacked. (AP: Eric Feferberg)Mr Macron’s office has said Mr Benalla was only supposed to be accompanying officers to the May protest as an observer.
However, the President’s office has been heavily criticised since it revealed that it knew about the assault before last week.
Mr Macron pledged as a candidate to restore integrity and transparency to the presidency.
Politicians were aghast to learn that Mr Benalla initially received only a two-week suspension and still had an office in the presidential palace more than two months after the beating.
Suspicion about a possible cover-up surfaced after what appeared to be inconsistent answers from Mr Macron’s office.
It said last week that since May, Mr Benalla had been working in an administrative role instead of security.
But Mr Benalla was photographed by the President’s side as his bodyguard during France’s July 14 national holiday.
Mr Macron has remained silent about the behaviour captured on video.
AP/Reuters
Topics: crime, law-crime-and-justice, world-politics, france
