NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / World

Macron faces growing scandal over footage of security aide beating a protester

By Siobhán O'Grady
Washington Post·
21 Jul, 2018 09:49 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

In this April photo, Emmanuel Macron, right, is flanked by his bodyguard, Alexandre Benalla, left, in Amiens, northern France. Photo / AP

In this April photo, Emmanuel Macron, right, is flanked by his bodyguard, Alexandre Benalla, left, in Amiens, northern France. Photo / AP

The disturbing footage from a May protest in Paris begins with a man in a black jacket, grey hoodie and police helmet forcefully pushing a woman down the street, his right hand tight around the back of her neck.

When those two disappear from the frame, the camera shows a group of police officers dragging a young man down the street.

Another man in what appears to be civilian clothes is struggling against the protester, who is now kneeling.

Then the first man in the black jacket re-appears, approaches the kneeling man from behind, grabs him by the neck and yanks him away from the group.

Then he beats him.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The video, which circulated on social media, was recorded at a Workers' Day protest in May, and this past week the French newspaper Le Monde identified the black-jacketed man as Alexandre Benalla, a security aide of French President Emmanuel Macron.

That identification prompted a series of questions, including what Benalla was doing at the protest to begin with, why he beat the protesters, and whether his superiors knew about it and failed to respond appropriately.

Tomorrow night NZT, French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb will have to answer some of them as Parliament plans to grill him over whether the government mishandled the incident.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The incident and its aftermath have grown into a political scandal that took another turn today as French investigators raided Benalla's home in Issy-Les-Moulineaux, a suburb of Paris.

The French government is facing fierce public backlash over the beating of a protester by President Macron's aide Alexandre Benalla #AffaireBenalla #tictocnews pic.twitter.com/jEjdJeYApu

— Bloomberg QuickTake (@QuickTake) July 20, 2018

Collomb is facing accusations that he knew about Benalla's behaviour and didn't take appropriate action. The 26-year-old Benalla was suspended for two weeks at the time but has appeared at a number of high-profile events since then. (The BBC reports that he worked as a bodyguard for Macron during his campaign and was later hired by the president's chief of staff.)

Following outcry over the footage, the Elysee dismissed him on Saturday. Benalla was taken into custody with another bodyguard, Vincent Crase, who also reportedly also appears in video footage from the May protest and has previously worked for Macron's political party.

AFP reported that three police officers were also taken into custody to face questioning over whether they provided Benalla with security camera footage that he hoped would prove himself innocent.

Discover more

World

Trump lashes out at secret Cohen recording

21 Jul 08:56 PM
World

Disabled parking spot row: Man shot dead

22 Jul 06:26 PM
World

Trump adviser 'collaborated with Russia'

22 Jul 12:04 AM
World

LA shooting: Grandmother of suspect shot seven times, in critical condition

22 Jul 04:08 AM

Benalla is not a police officer, but was wearing a visor that made him look like one. Le Monde reported that he asked for the day off in early May to "observe" the Workers' Day protest, however, the footage that emerged this week makes it seem like he did a lot more than just observe. Collomb said he "strong condemned" Benalla and Crase's behaviour.

But the incident has led to an awkward silence from Macron as his Government faces questions over whether an Elysee employee was given special treatment to avoid legal trouble.

"If Macron doesn't explain himself, the Benalla affair will become the Macron affair," far-right politician Marine Le Pen tweeted.

The most damaging scandal of Emmanuel Macron's presidency deepens with his interior minister under fire over his response to Macron's security aide #AlexandreBenalla being caught on video beating up a young man at a Paris protest https://t.co/UHlS7tQizU

— AFP news agency (@AFP) July 21, 2018
Save

    Share this article

Latest from World

World

Judge halts Trump order on birthright citizenship amid legal battles

10 Jul 07:27 PM
World

Why this Birkin bag became a $16.6m fashion icon

10 Jul 07:05 PM
World

How conservatives beat back a Republican sell-off of public lands

10 Jul 07:00 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from World

Why this Birkin bag became a $16.6m fashion icon

Why this Birkin bag became a $16.6m fashion icon

10 Jul 07:05 PM

The first Birkin bag has sold to a Japanese buyer at a Paris auction.

How conservatives beat back a Republican sell-off of public lands

How conservatives beat back a Republican sell-off of public lands

10 Jul 07:00 PM
Time for a grazcation: Finns flock to 'shepherd weeks'

Time for a grazcation: Finns flock to 'shepherd weeks'

10 Jul 07:00 PM
Premium
A ranch where people were trained in crime - or killed

A ranch where people were trained in crime - or killed

10 Jul 06:00 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP