"Even Meloni doesn't do that": Gabriel Attal abandoned by part of his troops after his proposal on the veil

A measure that lacks consensus. While Emmanuel Macron yesterday asked the government to formulate proposals to address the "seriousness of the facts" outlined in the report on the "entryism" of the Muslim Brotherhood, a former Prime Minister has already shared his initial ideas.

Gabriel Attal will indeed propose next week a ban on the wearing of the veil by minors under the age of 15 in public spaces . A practice that "seriously undermines gender equality and child protection," according to his entourage.

"It's distressing," laments a former minister. "They say they didn't check whether it was constitutional. Luckily, it isn't." "Nothing's right. It's not worked out. I think the president will say something," continues the same source. "I'm curious to know what Bruno Retailleau will say. He's not in favor, apparently. He has a Catholic constituency and he works a bit, he has a consistency that Gabriel Attal doesn't have."

"We have become the only country in Europe to invade public discourse with these issues. Even Meloni (the Italian Prime Minister, editor's note) doesn't do that," he further laments.

Gabriel Attal's entourage, however, confirmed to BFMTV that the Constitutional Council will not overturn this measure: "We said the same thing about the ban on ostentatious signs in schools. The same thing about wearing the burqa in public. The same thing about wearing the abaya in schools... And every time, we succeed (...). The constitutional way forward is the protection of children and minors."

A former member of the government, close to the President of the Republic, is equally critical of Gabriel Attal.

"The abaya worked because it was school," she explains, referring to the former Minister of Education's circular against wearing the abaya in schools. "He thought he could do it again."

"But the Constitutional Council will obviously reject the veil," the former minister continues. "Attal sees that it's declining, that it can't take off. So he's trying to do Retailleau, but it's not working."

According to a new "Live Opinion" survey conducted by the Elabe Institute for BFMTV , the mayor of Le Havre is cited first among right-wing and centrist supporters as a candidate for a joint candidacy in 2027, ahead of Bruno Retailleau. Gabriel Attal is the third most cited political figure.

A government advisor is more ironic about this proposal, which comes on the very day the Muslim Brotherhood's report is presented to the Defence Council: "I don't really know if this resolves the issue of entryism..."

The premature publication of the report angered Emmanuel Macron, who was "not at all happy about the leaks." "The atmosphere was heavy, heavy," according to this participant, who added that the head of state "found that the meeting had not been sufficiently prepared by the ministers."

For a Macronist executive, the President of the Republic puts Bruno Retailleau, Gérald Darmanin and Gabriel Attal "in the same basket".

"The president has been in office for eight years; he knows what is relevant to communication and what is in the national interest. The leaks about the report, the announcement of a prison in French Guiana, or Attal's proposal on the veil are not in the national interest," he adds.

"He (Gabriel Attal, editor's note) will never be more right-wing than Bruno Retailleau or Édouard Philippe," says a member of the central bloc. "We don't expect Attal to speak out on the issue of the veil."

A "not simple" issue for this parliamentarian who "will not be resolved by banning the veil for those under 15 (...) Are we going to ask young girls wearing veils in the street for their identity cards?"