Racist remarks about dual nationals: ex-RN MP Daniel Grenon to know his fate this Friday

During his trial on April 17, Daniel Grenon, a non-registered MP after being expelled from the National Rally (RN), laboriously attempted to plead his innocence. His fate will be determined this Friday, May 2. The Sens Criminal Court is expected to deliver its verdict this afternoon after trying the 76-year-old elected official for "public incitement to discrimination" and "public insult" based on "origin, ethnicity, nation, race, or religion."

A fine of 1,500 euros had been requested against Daniel Grenon – one of the many "black sheep" of the RN identified during the 2024 legislative elections, after the dissolution of the National Assembly by Emmanuel Macron – who had considered that "a North African with dual nationality has no place in high places" . These comments were made on July 1, between the two rounds of the early election, when the outgoing deputy of the first constituency of Yonne, campaigning for his re-election, participated in a debate organized by the local newspaper l'Yonne républicaine .

Daniel Grenon was invited to respond to these racist remarks, the journalist from Yonne républicaine recalling the regular excesses of many RN candidates. In the transcript of the exchange, still online on the daily's website, we can read the former shopkeeper's response: "Excesses are everywhere. If we want to come back to dual nationals, all these things are debatable. My grandfather was Armenian, he never bothered anyone. Out of 30 or 40 positions, we can't afford to have dual nationals. North Africans came to power in 2016, these people have no place in high places."

The public prosecutor was notified on July 3, and Jordan Bardella, confronted with the audio recording of the MP's remarks, condemned the "abject remarks." The leader of the RN promising the holding of a "conflicts commission" within his party and that "those who make statements that are not in line with my beliefs will be shown the door." Re-elected despite his statement, Daniel Grenon had directly joined the non-registered group within the new National Assembly, before being excluded from the party in October.

During his trial, the Burgundian elected official, a member of the National Defense and Armed Forces Committee at the Palais-Bourbon, became bogged down in laborious explanations. Claiming not to be racist because he has "North African friends," the man told the president that placing a dual national in "high places" "could become dangerous." According to the court's decision this Friday, one of the most strategic committees of the National Assembly could welcome a guilty deputy, who is not a dual national.