Editorial of the “World”. Donald Trump, explains Marine Le Pen, “Did not measure the impact of his remarks on some of the people” to which he addressed in his speech in front of the White House on January 6.
For the president of the National Rally, call a few thousand hardened demonstrators to march on the Capitol after having heated them white for an hour to prevent parliamentarians from certifying the results of an election that was theirs “Stolen” would therefore not be of consequence. Even when the one who made the call has been President of the United States for four years and has shown that he knows perfectly well how to use the power of intimidating far-right militias. And even when he waits more than two hours, after the protesters stormed the Capitol, asking them to withdraw.
Does Marine Le Pen measure the scope of his words? By finding this excuse for Donald Trump, it legitimizes a maneuver that resulted in the suspension of the democratic process for several hours. She herself did not recognize Joe Biden’s election until Thursday, January 7, after Congress had certified the results, two months after the poll. Even Vladimir Putin preceded her.
The attempted insurgency led from the White House is a lesson for all democracies, especially those of our European countries; M’s reactionme Le Pen only makes it clearer. Experience now proves that the ambiguity and the accommodations that can be found in the face of the undemocratic behavior of elected leaders are a slippery slope on which it is dangerous to embark.
“The words of the presidents, noted President-elect Joe Biden, have meaning: they can inspire, but they can also incite. “ We have undoubtedly, in the United States and elsewhere, underestimated Donald Trump’s drift, the strength of his verb, the power of his demagoguery, the distances he took from the rule of law. The excesses of this president of a new type, it was thought, would be marked out by democratic institutions, the solidity of which was foolproof.
They weren’t. This lesson applies to all leaders of democracies who flirt with populism or reveal the rule of law. Some come to understand it. Boris Johnson, the British Prime Minister, on Thursday strongly condemned the behavior of Donald Trump, once Brexit brother in arms.
Insidious deviation
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis has wisely put away his red cap since Thursday, a copy of the Trumpists’ “Make America Great Again” headgear, on his Twitter profile, in favor of an anti-Covid mask.
Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa, who, breaking European unity, congratulated Donald Trump on his re-election when he was defeated, has been less enthusiastic, even if he leaves no mysteries about his sympathies in the choice of its Retweet.
Can we put up with the insidious deviation of democracy in certain countries of the European Union? In the light of what happened in Washington, the question takes on a new importance. It should be asked in particular to parties concerned with democracy which, like the CDU of Chancellor Angela Merkel and the Republicans party, continue to grant the protection of the European EPP parliamentary group to the party of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban , suspended but not excluded. To date, Mr. Orban has not condemned the events in Washington.
