On Monday, the French government's new immigration bill was rejected by the National Assembly before it was even debated by MPs. Caught on the back foot by this resounding political defeat, supporters of President Emmanuel Macron cried foul, saying the vote was a “denial of democracy” and attacking the “petty politics” of the opposition parties. This is, to say the least, a bold argument, writes Ellen Salvi in this op-ed article, coming as it does from a government that has constantly forced through legislation and schemed in back corridors, including with the far-right.

When 13-year-old Aïcha fell ill at the family home in Paris her mother called the emergency services and three fire officers – who are often the first responders for medical emergencies in France – arrived at the scene. After thirty minutes the trio left, saying the teenager was faking her suffering, even though she was semi-conscious when they went. Twelve days later Aïcha died in hospital as the result of a brain haemorrhage. Her parents wonder whether their daughter may have lived had the fire officers taken her to hospital, and whether they would have taken her illness more seriously had she not been black. They have now deposed a formal legal complaint for manslaughter. Meanwhile one of fire officers has been disciplined. David Perrotin reports.  

It is not just the physical reality of humanity, of lives lost forever, that is dying in the Middle East, writes Mediapart publishing editor Edwy Plenel in this op-ed article. It is, he argues, the very idea of humanity itself that is being destroyed by the unrestrained and limitless vengeance of the Israeli state against the Palestinian population of Gaza in response to the massacre carried out by Hamas.

Mediapart and the European Investigative Collaborations (EIC) network can reveal that the Greek Member of the European Parliament Eva Kaili, who is under investigation in the 'Qatargate affair', conducted an influence operation on behalf of the Gulf state, working directly with hidden lobbyists and two Qatari ministers. Kaili, who was the vice-president of the European Parliament, denies being guided in her actions by the lobbyists. Louis Colart and Yann Philippin report.

The man arrested over the murder of a German tourist near the Eiffel Tower on Saturday night, Armand Rajabpour-Miyandoab, was convicted in 2018 for involvement in a terrorist criminal conspiracy, having previously been in contact with the killers of two French police officers and a French priest. Then, after he was released from prison, he communicated online with the man who shortly afterwards killed teacher Samuel Paty in a Paris suburb. Rajabpour-Miyandoab, now aged 26, subsequently managed to convince the authorities that he was a reformed character. But some of those in charge of his rehabilitation have now told Mediapart that they always harboured doubts about whether he had left the world of radicalism behind. Matthieu Suc reports.

Democracy depends on factual truths being placed at the heart of public debate rather than the relativity of opinions, writes Mediapart publishing editor Edwy Plenel in this op-ed article. Beyond the urgent need to free the media from the control of monied interests, this was the key political question that was raised at a recent national convention on the independent press, in which Mediapart took part.

On Wednesday France's justice minister Éric Dupond-Moretti was cleared of claims of an unlawful conflict of interest by a special court composed largely of politicians. Meanwhile, the country's labour minister Olivier Dussopt is continuing to carry out his official duties while on trial in a criminal court; and on top of that, the former budget minister and convicted tax fraud Jérôme Cahuzac has just announced he is seeking a return to politics.  In what he describes as a bleak week for the country, Mediapart's Fabrice Arfi argues in this op-ed article that the relationship between French democracy and public ethics is crumbling yet further.

In the early hours of November 24th 2021, at least 27 people died when their inflatable dinghy sank off the French coast as they attempted a clandestine crossing of the Channel to Britain. The tragedy highlighted the desperate plight of tens of thousands of migrants who attempt the perilous crossing in flimsy and overcrowded boats, while the drownings continue. Mediapart interviewed two French maritime rescue volunteers who recount the terrifying incidents they have been involved in to save migrants from the treacherous Channel waters, and who complain of insufficient resources in face of the scale of the problem. Nejma Brahim and Pascale Pascariello report.

The European Union is currently preparing a directive on corporate “due diligence” which would impose strict rules aimed at preventing the negative social and environmental consequences of business activities. The European Parliament earlier this year voted in favour of including the financial sector in the directive but, according to documents obtained by Mediapart, France has made headway in its lobbying efforts to exclude financial institutions from the initial legislation, subject to a future review. As Ludovic Lamant reports, the move by Paris, denounced by NGOs and MEPs, is on course to significantly weaken what is one of the most awaited pieces of legislation of the European Parliament’s current term.

In September, the French charitable association Restos du cœur, which runs a nationwide network of tens of thousands of volunteers managing food banks and mobile street kitchens, announced that these would have to turn people away this winter due to growing demand and insufficient funding. Despite subsequent donations, the association is still grappling with a shortfall of food supplies, forcing it to apply stricter criteria for those seeking aid. As its winter campaign began this week, some families are refused help, while those accepted are receiving smaller parcels, much to the distress of the charity’s frontline volunteers. Manuel Magrez reports from two of its centres near Paris.