He has declared war on the Islamist “enemy within” and halal food shelves in supermarkets. He launched what he described as a “massive” operation against 76 of France’s mosques, and sought to criminalize the filming of police officers. And he announced that he “can’t breathe” when he hears the term “police violence” — mocking a cry against police brutality that originated in the United States and resonated around the world, reports The New York Times.
Interior minister Gérald Darmanin of France is at the center of a triple-headed political crisis that is rocking the late stages of the presidency of Emmanuel Macron — over Islam, police brutality and freedom of the press.
And there is no sign that Mr. Darmanin is buckling.
This week, the youthful, 38-year-old Mr. Darmanin appeared on the cover of the magazine Paris Match, a sure sign that he has transcended the Paris political bubble and entered into the public consciousness. “Baptism by Fire” is the headline in the widely read weekly magazine, which combines news with extensive coverage of celebrities, next to a posed picture of the minister looking thoughtful.
Vilified on the left and mistrusted by former colleagues on the right, Mr. Darmanin, who is the minister in charge of the French police, has become indispensable to Mr. Macron at a time when a majority of French are demanding law, order and toughness in the face of what the president calls “Islamism” after a spate of terrorist attacks.