THE  REBELLIOUS PROCESS JEAN-LUC MELENCHON

The search at the heart of the trial

The search at the heart of the trial was conducted at the Paris headquarters of LFI in the context of two investigations of the Paris prosecutor's office on the accounts of the 2017 presidential campaign and on the conditions of employment of assistants of MEPs from LFI, entrusted since then to examining magistrates.

Filming live on Facebook the search of his home, Jean-Luc Mélenchon had first denounced a "huge political police operation" before going with relatives at the headquarters of the movement.

In front of cameras, he had called his family to "break the door" to enter the premises.

He was also seen shaking up a representative of the prosecution, as well as a police officer trying to intervene.

Up to ten years in prison

"To accuse an insubordinate of crime of rebellion, it is a form of pleonasm," threw on Thursday at the helm Jean-Luc Mélenchon, tried with five of his relatives in Bobigny for rebellion and acts of intimidation, during the search at the headquarters of LFI in October.

The trial, scheduled for two days, opened in an electric climate, fueled by the repeated attacks of the leader Insoumis against justice. To the judge who asked him if he agreed to appear, Jean-Luc Mélenchon replied: "I do not think I have a choice, but yes".

Jean-Luc Mélenchon is being prosecuted for "acts of intimidation against a magistrate and a depositary of public authority, rebellion and provocation".

He incurs up to 10 years in prison, a fine of 150,000 euros and 5 years of ineligibility. Also present are MPs Bastien Lachaud and Alexis Corbière, MEP Manuel Bompard, President of the "People's Era" Association Bernard Pignerol and the press officer of LFI.

An oratorical contest between two tribunes

The leader of LFI, the first to be interviewed, said he felt "a sense of humiliation". The day of the search, on October 16, 2018, "the day began in an atmosphere of confusion, of amazement", with the search of several unsubdued militants, justified Jean-Luc Mélenchon, when the president of the tribunal Benoît Descoubes emphasized that the materiality of what he is accused of was established.

Jean-Luc Mélenchon pointed out that he was also afraid that the file of 500,000 registered on the LFI platform would be seized while he had a "moral responsibility vis-à-vis those who gave their name and address for support (his) presidential campaign ".

And he said he was again the victim of a "political trial": "I'm not talking about conspiracy, but about system effect".

To the questions of Me Eric Dupond-Moretti, one of the lawyers of the civil parties, the leader of France Insoumise could not help but retort: ​​"It is a classic technique, to cut small piece by piece the Questions. Go straight to the goal, be offensive! ", Jean-Luc Mélenchon told him.

Visibly annoyed, Eric Dupond-Moretti joked: "Here we are in a court, not in front of the court, with signs!" An allusion to the dozens of unsubdued activists who were waiting in court to support the defendants.

A duel between two high - colored characters, the media lawyer and the tribune who had started a muted war on social networks, on the eve of the trial.