This Thursday evening, during the debates around the repeal of the pension reform proposed by La France insoumise (LFI), the tension reached its peak in the National Assembly. Nicolas Turquois, MoDem MP for Vienne, got angry with Mickaël Bouloux, socialist MP, before approaching Antoine Léaument, LFI MP, in a threatening manner. The incident required the intervention of the bailiffs and Marc Fesneau, leader of the MoDem MPs.
"I lost my temper": Nicolas Turquois admits his wrongdoing
Invited to several media outlets this Friday morning, Nicolas Turquois admitted to having lost his cool. "I lost it," he declared on BFMTV, while expressing his regrets about his attitude towards Mickaël Bouloux, to whom he promised to apologize. On the other hand, he refused to do the same for Antoine Léaument, whom he accuses of having insulted him.
According to the MoDem MP, his outburst of anger was provoked by the dissemination of a list by LFI, which included the names of parliamentarians who had tabled amendments against the repeal of the pension reform. "This list was sent to my relatives, and I do not accept that," he said, describing these practices as "unworthy" and contrary to democratic values.
The evening was marked by a heated confrontation between Nicolas Turquois and Antoine Léaument. The latter claimed that the MoDem MP had tried to hit him, an accusation that the person concerned denied outright. "I never intended to hit him," Nicolas Turquois assured, adding that he had "approached dynamically." A video shared on social networks shows the MoDem MP being held back by his colleagues before leaving the chamber.
Political reactions
Reactions to this incident were swift. Antoine Léaument denounced an attempt at intimidation, while Manuel Bompard, LFI deputy, described Nicolas Turquois' defense as "shameful". "Nothing justifies physically attacking deputies," he wrote on X (ex-Twitter).
Maud Bregeon, government spokesperson, also condemned these excesses. "It is distressing and it harms the image of elected officials," she declared on France 2.
This is not the first time that Nicolas Turquois has found himself at the heart of a controversy. In February 2020, he caused a session incident by telling the opposition: "The Republic is us, and you are nothing." More recently, in July 2024, he was expelled from the chamber after a verbal altercation with members of the National Rally.
Towards a discussion at the Bureau of the Assembly
Xavier Breton, the session's chairman, indicated that this incident would be addressed at the next meeting of the Bureau of the National Assembly. This episode adds to a series of growing tensions between parliamentary groups, in a context marked by increasingly polarized debates.
Nicolas Turquois, despite his partial apology, insisted on his role as a politician but also as a family man: "What I did is human. When someone attacks my loved ones, I cannot remain indifferent."
