"Shitty French": EELV elected official from Argenteuil sanctioned for insulting police officers

03 October 2024 / Interviews

Donia Lassoued, municipal councilor of Argenteuil (Val-d'Oise) and member of Europe Écologie-Les Verts (EELV), was punished with a citizenship course after insulting police officers during a traffic stop in Paris. The incident occurred on Friday, September 25, 2024, in the 17th arrondissement of the capital, during a routine check carried out by the Parisian Security and Intervention Company (CSI 75).

Insults and altercation with law enforcement

During the check, Donia Lassoued was in her car with her husband. According to the Paris prosecutor's office, the elected official quickly became aggressive towards the police officers, hurling insults at them, potentially mixing Arabic and French. She allegedly used the expression "French shit". Her partner, for his part, physically opposed the officers' intervention.

Faced with the escalation of tensions, the couple was arrested for insulting an officer and undisciplined conduct. Because of the alleged facts, Donia Lassoued was summoned for a citizenship course, scheduled for November, an alternative sanction to legal proceedings.

An environmental activist and police critic

Donia Lassoued, 39, is known for her committed political stances, particularly against police violence. In 2020, during an interview on France Inter, she denounced police abuse, saying she could cite numerous examples of checks that had gone wrong. More recently, she spoke out on social media after the death of young Nahel, severely criticizing the French police.

The Green Party representative has not yet publicly responded to this affair, which quickly made the rounds of the media. However, this incident adds to her recurring criticism of the police, highlighting a deep opposition between her political convictions and the tense context of relations between the police and certain elected officials.