Why is Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s party trying to disarm the police?

A French police officer was attacked with a knife in Cannes this morning. The victim – whose bullet-proof vest saved him from serious injury – was at the wheel of his stationary car when the assailant opened his door and plunged the weapon into his body. There are reports that the attacker uttered the words ‘in the name of the Prophet’. The man was ‘neutralised’ by another policeman and is now in a serious condition in hospital.

As the attack unfolded, left-wing MP, Mathilde Panot, appeared on a popular morning radio show and was asked about her party’s controversial stance on giving weapons to police officers. Panot is a member of La France Insoumise (LFI), the party led by Jean-Luc Mélenchon, which, in the 2017 presidential election, exceeded expectations in winning a 19.5 per cent share of the vote in the first round. 

Things don’t look so rosy this time around: a weekend poll that canvassed voters’ intention in 2022 put Mélenchon at just eight per cent, way behind Emmanuel Macron (25 per cent), Eric Zemmour (16.5