Why is Ruth Elkrief placed under police protection? What is the mission of his security agent?

The leader of La France Insoumise Jean-Luc Mélenchon on Sunday described LCI columnist Ruth Elkrief as “fanatic” and “contemptuous towards Muslims”. A statement that has difficulty getting through to the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin. Police protection was put in place.

Ruth Elkrief placed under police protection. This Monday, December 4, 2023, the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin decided to protect the LCI journalist, publicly accused by Jean-Luc Mélenchon of being “manipulative” and “fanatical” on the social network a muscular exchange between the journalist and Manuel Bompard, coordinator of LFI, in the show Sunday eventSunday December 3 on LCI on the subject of the war between Israel and Hamas.

“I decided this morning, given the threats from Mr. Mélenchon and others, since it is an outburst of hatred on the internet, to provide police protection” he declared this Monday on BFMTV-RMC. The Minister of the Interior also castigated the “irresponsibility” of the headliner of La France Insoumise.

Ruth Elkrief protected by the SDLP

But then why is Ruth Elkrief placed under police protection? War between Hamas and Israel, resurgence of anti-Semitic acts in France… The current climate brings significant risks to the surface for citizens of the Jewish faith. The LCI journalist is no exception to the rule, especially since her media exposure can work to her disadvantage, particularly on social networks where violent insults can fly. The Minister of the Interior justifies his choice in particular because of the “hate” messages received by the editorialist. As a reminder, this is not the first time that Ruth Elkrief has been the victim of threats as a journalist, hence the rapid reaction of Gérald Darmanin.

The police protection to which Ruth Elkrief will be subject will be provided by the protection service (SDLP), resulting from the merger between the protection service of high-ranking personalities (SPHP), the security service of the Ministry of the Interior (SSMI ) and the central automobile service (SCA). The latter provides close protection and support for French or foreign people on French territory and abroad.

For each protected person, which will be the case for the LCI editorialist, a team is placed with them. A security officer provided her with close protection as it was determined that she was under threat. At the same time, a safety driver will carry out additional work. He will take all necessary measures to avoid exposing the person to a potential attack, and will guarantee their rapid evacuation if conditions require it.

Although relatively opaque on the criteria for selectivity of the personalities followed and its implementation, police protection is granted by a commission provided for by article 14 of the decree of August 12, 2013. This commission is chaired by the chief of staff of the Minister of the Interior. It is she who issues an opinion to the Minister on the issuance or maintenance of any close protection or security support measure.

“It is unacceptable for a journalist to be subjected to pressure and insults”

The least we can say is that the release of Jean-Luc Mélenchon did not fail to make the government react. The spokesperson for the executive, Olivier Véran, notably wanted to react: “At some point, we must ask ourselves the question of the place occupied by Jean-Luc Mélenchon in the public debate.”

Same story with the President of the Senate, Gérard Larcher: “How far will Jean-Luc Mélenchon go in his remarks?” he asked himself. For Eric Ciotti, leader of the Republicans, the leader of the Insoumis is none other than a “collaborator of the Islamists”.

In a tweet, the TF1 group reaffirmed its support for its journalist by deploring “strongly the odious invectives and inappropriate insinuations to which she is the subject”.