Violence of 17 October: Laurent Nuñez admits a “lack of anticipation” before the commission of inquiry
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- Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez was heard for nearly three hours, under oath, by the Assembly’s commission of inquiry on 3 November.
- On 17 October, he acknowledges a “lack of anticipation” that is first his own, and speaks of a “failure”.
- He blames the far left and regrets serious injuries, but defends the use of stun grenades and LBDs.
- The article used gives no precise figures for injured or arrested people.
In this article
What happened
According to franceinfo, Laurent Nuñez was heard on Tuesday 3 November, in the afternoon, by the National Assembly’s commission of inquiry on the handling of law enforcement on 17 October, under oath and for almost three hours. The Rassemblement National refused to sit. A commission of inquiry is a body created by Parliament to examine the government’s actions. 17 October was a day of mobilisation against the cost of living, marked by damage, violence and looting on an unprecedented scale, with injuries among law enforcement and demonstrators in several large cities. After that day, the minister had handed his resignation to Emmanuel Macron, who refused it.
The first two statements
The first is the admission of a “lack of anticipation”, which is first of all his own. He acknowledged that the intelligence services underestimated the scale of the mobilisation, the looting and the damage. He described four simultaneous phenomena: the official march, unauthorised processions, radicalised activists, then rioters and looters late in the afternoon, and he called the inability to protect public buildings and shops a “failure”. The second concerns the far left: according to him, it mobilised in an unusual way to disrupt the police operation. To the Paris prosecutor, who could not confirm a politicisation of those held in custody, he replied that this did not mean they were not behind it. The far right also tried to take advantage of the situation, but less so on 24 and 31 October, he added.
The third statement
The third is regret for the serious injuries. Laurent Nuñez mentioned in particular Evan, a 15-year-old schoolboy in Lens (Pas-de-Calais), whose hand was torn off by a stun grenade on 5 October. He nevertheless defended the use of this weapon, judged justified by the context, and presented rubber-bullet launchers (LBD) as “the only intermediate weapon” that can target one person. He lost his temper at an interruption by the La France insoumise MP Ugo Bernalicis.
Points not verified
The article used gives no precise figures for injured people or arrests; we therefore put forward none. It says that many investigations by the IGPN and IGGN are under way. The date the commission’s report will be handed in could not be verified.
Learn the grammar
French grammar
Learn sentence patterns and usage from the article’s own sentences.
01Negation and its scope
ne / n’ … pas · ne … plus
À la procureure de Paris, qui ne pouvait pas confirmer une politisation des gardés à vue, il a répondu que cela ne signifiait pas qu’ils n’étaient pas à la manœuvre.Key pointsNormally ne and pas wrap the verb. Before a vowel, ne becomes n’. Check which part of the sentence the negation covers. Ne … plus means “no longer”.
02Citing a source with selon
selon + noun / organisation
Selon franceinfo, Laurent Nuñez a été entendu le mardi 3 novembre, dans l’après-midi, par la commission d’enquête de l’Assemblée nationale sur la gestion du maintien de l’ordre le 17 octobre, sous serment et pendant près de trois heures.Key pointsSelon means “according to”. Put a person or organisation after it as the source. It separates facts the writer checked directly from what another body or report said. Citing a source does not turn a forecast into an accomplished fact.
03Purpose with pour
pour + infinitive
Une commission d’enquête est un organe créé par le Parlement pour examiner l’action du gouvernement.Key pointsThis is the purpose, “in order to…”. Put the base form of a verb after pour. The purpose stated here is separate from whether the effect was actually achieved.
04The present of être
est / sont + complement
La première est l’aveu d’un « manque d’anticipation », qui est d’abord le sien.Key pointsEst is third-person singular and sont third-person plural of être. They express “is / are” — a state or description. If a past participle follows, it is a different structure such as the passive, so check the words that follow.
05The subject relative pronoun qui
noun + qui + verb
Après cette journée, le ministre avait remis sa démission à Emmanuel Macron, qui l’a refusée.Key pointsQui continues a description of the person or thing just mentioned (“the one that does…”). Because qui is itself the subject of the next verb, do not repeat the subject. The verb agrees with the noun qui refers to.
06Dates and their prepositions
le + 日付 / du … au …
Le 3 novembre, le ministre de l’Intérieur a été entendu près de trois heures par la commission d’enquête de l’Assemblée sur le maintien de l’ordre le 17 octobre.Key pointsLe 15 octobre means “on 15 October”. Distinguish the le before a date from the le that marks a weekly habit like a weekday. Du is de + le and au is à + le, so decide the meaning from the verb and period expressions around them. Their role depends on the group: a range of dates, the date of a bulletin or another complement.
Japanese grammar
Understand the structure and usage from the text.
01Citing a source: によると
noun + によると
franceinfoによると、ローラン・ヌニェス内相は、11月3日（火）の午後、国民議会（下院）の調査委員会に呼ばれました。Key pointsAs in “LCPによると”, it shows where the information comes from. What that source reported follows. It is used differently from “私にとって”, which gives one’s own opinion.
02Rejecting an interpretation
〜わけではない / 〜という意味ではない
パリの検察官が、拘束された人の政治的な立場は確認できないと答えたことには、それは彼らが主導していなかったという意味ではないと返しました。Key pointsThese forms limit and deny an interpretation: “it does not necessarily follow” or “that is not what is meant”. They do not necessarily deny every fact in the sentence. Read what is being denied together with the earlier part.
03Polite negation and plain form
〜ではありません / 〜ではない
パリの検察官が、拘束された人の政治的な立場は確認できないと答えたことには、それは彼らが主導していなかったという意味ではないと返しました。Key pointsThey negate a noun and similar content. “ではありません” is the polite form and “ではない” the plain form. “成立ではありません” shows that it cannot be said to have been concluded.
04Cause or purpose with ため
〜ため / 〜ために
調査委員会（commission d’enquête）は、議会が政府の対応などを調べるために設ける機関です。Key pointsため is used for both reason and purpose. “成立ではないため” is a reason and “運転手を守るため” a purpose. Decide from the whole sentence whether what precedes is a cause or a goal.
05Giving examples with など
noun / expression + など
ヌニェス氏は、パ＝ド＝カレー県のランス（Lens）の高校生エヴァンさん（15歳）が、10月5日に衝撃手榴弾（grenade assourdissante）で手を失った件などに触れました。Key points“暴言など” gives “abusive language” as one example. It is not necessarily a closed list of only the things named. It also helps when reading the scope of a news story.
06The polite past ました
verb stem (連用形) + ました
3日、内務大臣ローラン・ヌニェス氏が、17日のデモの治安対応を調べる国民議会の委員会で約3時間、証言しました。Key pointsIn “発表しました”, ました makes a verb polite past. The negative is “ませんでした”. Read the actual date together with the date and time in the text.