A police commissioner and a deputy prosecutor were caught dining out at a lockdown speakeasy restaurant in violation of the country’s Wuhan coronavirus restriction rules.
The story of the two men shot to national prominence on Monday morning during a television interview with French interior minister Gerald Darmanin in which he called for the immediate suspension of the police commissioner.
“When I see that officials of the Ministry of the Interior do not respect these rules, especially when going to clandestine restaurants, I say so,” Darmanin said, France Inter reports.
“That was the case, as I understand it, this weekend, of a police commissioner in the south of France. If it is ever verified, I have asked the Director of the National Police to suspend him and remove him from his command post,” the Interior Minister added.
The two men are said to have headed to a restaurant in the commune of Carpentras and had lunch together at the venue, which was open in violation of the coronavirus rules.
Delingpole: Italian Restaurants Open in Mass Protest at Lockdown Rules https://t.co/OvWuGMkk6Z
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) January 17, 2021
The Union Syndicale des Magistrates, an apolitical union that represents around 2,000 magistrates, claimed that the deputy prosecutor did not dine at the restaurant but was there for a takeout order, which is legal.
While France has implemented many measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus, President Emmanuel Macron has held off on initiating a third full lockdown across the country.
Government spokesman Gabriel Attal, however, said that while everything was being done to make sure another lockdown did not occur, the chance of it being avoided was small.
Many businesses, including restaurants, have seen large declines in business due to the lockdowns and some have opened in defiance of lockdown measures.
In Italy, an estimated 50,000 or more restaurants opened their doors as part of the #IoApro (#IOpen) movement. Videos soon spread on social media of customers and restaurant owners driving off police attempting to stop the restaurants from opening.
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