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WORLD NEWS Tuesday 24 July 2018

Macron's security aide 'dumbfounded' by storm around him

By ELAINE GANLEY May 1.
Associated Press Collomb, who was told
PARIS (AP) — The security about the incident the day
aide close to French Presi- after the protests and is in
dent Emmanuel Macron charge of France's security
who is alleged to have forces, said Benalla was not
beaten up a protester dur- under his supervision.
ing a May Day protest is "I will remind you ... that on
"dumbfounded" by the May 2, I made sure that the
storm around him, his law- president's office as well as
yers said Monday. the police prefecture had
Footage of the violence been informed about Mr.
has caused consternation Benalla's doings," Collomb
across France, and the af- said.
fair has become the big- "And so I thought, as the
gest internal crisis to hit rule is in cases of miscon-
Macron since he became duct, that adequate mea-
president in May 2017. sures had been taken .... It
A parliamentary inquiry was up to them to sanction
opened hearings Monday, it. And eventually to inform
a day after an investigat- judicial authorities."
ing judge filed preliminary Laying out the sequence
charges against the aide, French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb, arrives for hearing with deputies of the Laws Commission of events, Collomb said his
Alexandre Benalla. at the National Assembly in Paris, France, Monday, July 23, 2018. top aide informed him on
In a statement, Benalla's Associated Press May 2 of a video showing
lawyers said he "took the Benalla beating up a pro-
initiative" to intervene at days ago by the newspa- parliamentary commission server, the aide was able tester and that both the
the protest because police per Le Monde as the man was hastily set up to try to to keep his job. The Elysee president's office and po-
on the scene were "appar- acting violently. find out why it took 2 1/2 changed tack last week lice chief were informed.
ently overwhelmed." "This personal initiative (of months to open a judicial and said it was firing Bena- The minister said he was ad-
Attorneys Audrey Gadot Benalla) ... today clearly probe into the actions of lla. But that development vised of the sanctions later
and Laurent-Franck Lienard serves to tarnish the presi- Benalla. only came about after Le that day. Benalla's subse-
described Benalla's actions dency in conditions that On Sunday, Benalla and Monde identified the aide quent two-week suspen-
as "vigorous" but "without defy understanding," the four others, including three in a video of the incident sion and his re-assignment
violence" — despite video statement said. ranking police officers, published. to a desk job have been
showing him beating a pro- The presidential office's fail- were informed of charges At the hearing, France's in- roundly viewed as inad-
tester and yanking another ure to act immediately has against them regarding terior minister, Gerard Col- equate.
protester away. raised a series of questions their alleged roles during lomb, and the Paris police Like Collomb, Paris Police
The lawyers suggested in about the actions of those the protest that turned par- chief insisted it wasn't their Chief Michel Delpuech
the statement, published close to Macron, who has ticularly violent, with shops job to inform judicial offi- told the committee that he
on TF1-TV's Internet site, yet to comment. and cars damaged. cials that Benalla beat up failed to involve judicial of-
that Macron was the target The lawyers' comments Though the Elysee Palace a protester. However, they ficials because he thought
of politicians and media came as the first of a series knew about what Benalla contradicted each other the matter had been
focused on the case since of hearings into the May had done while embed- about who told whom settled by the relevant
Benalla was identified five Day events began. The ded with police as an ob- about what happened authority.q