Bruno Retailleau: France's New Hardline Interior Minister, Hostile to Hamas and Algeria

Following weeks of ambiguity, France’s new Prime Minister Michel Barnier announced his government formation on September 21, 2024, set to lead the country in the coming phase.

According to France 24, the appointed government lineup did not bring major surprises but introduced new faces, the most notable being the right-wing politician Bruno Retailleau, who was appointed as Minister of the Interior.

Retailleau replaces the controversial former Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, who faced accusations of racism and racial profiling, particularly targeting migrants and the Muslim community in France.

So, who is Retailleau? What are his political views and orientations? And how might his appointment affect Muslims and migrants in France?

Background and Rise

Bruno Retailleau was born on November 20, 1960, in Cholet, located in the Maine-et-Loire department in the Grand West region of France, near the Atlantic coast.

Retailleau is the eldest of four children and grew up in Cholet, where his father served as the town’s mayor for many years.

He attended Saint Gab High School in Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre, which focuses on religious teachings aligned with Catholic Christian doctrine.

He later graduated from the Paris Institute of Political Studies and earned a master’s degree in economics from Nantes University in 1985.

Retailleau began his political career as a member of the right-wing Movement for France, led by Philippe de Villiers.

He served as a parliamentary deputy from 1994 to 1997 and later as president of the General Council of the Vendee department from 2010 to 2015.

In 2010, Retailleau joined the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP), and was elected as a senator for the Vendee in the same year.

In 2014, he joined the French Republican Party, then led by former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, becoming the party’s official representative in the Senate.

In 2017, he assumed leadership of the French political think tank Force Republique (Republic Force) known for its nationalist tendencies and focus on immigration issues.

Presidential Candidacy

As the campaign manager for candidate François Fillon, newly elected Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau fought vigorously against current President Emmanuel Macron in 2017, particularly as one of the prominent voices opposing what is commonly referred to as “Macronism.”

However, during his leadership of that campaign, the PenelopeGate scandal erupted in January 2017, involving Fillon, who represented the center-right political spectrum.

The scandal centered on fictitious jobs that Fillon had granted to his wife while serving as Prime Minister of France from 2007 to 2012.

As a result, Fillon's campaign failed, and he was later sentenced in 2022 to four years in prison, with one year to be served, along with a fine of €375,000 and a ten-year ban on running for office.

Subsequently, Retailleau ascended within the Republican Party and became a prominent representative of the far-right.

In 2022, he was the Republican Party's candidate for the presidency but lost in the second round to Eric Ciltti.

During his campaign, Retailleau declared that the French right could not be dissolved into “Macronism.”

After losing the primary, he announced that he would eagerly vote against President Macron in the second round.

Political Views and Directions

Although Bruno Retailleau describes himself as a “liberal conservative,” his political trajectory and policies throughout his career have aligned him with the far-right.

In 2019, Retailleau introduced a bill to ban what he referred to as “sectarian lists” in elections, aimed at restricting Muslims and other ethnic groups in France from creating lists to ensure representation.

He identifies as a “devout Catholic Christian,” notably as a member of the French Senate's solidarity, communication, and vigilance group (Liaison, reflection, vigilance and solidarity group with Christians, minorities in the Middle East and the Kurds) focused on defending Christians and minorities in the Middle East.

He advocates for significant reforms in the state based on what he calls the French social model, which involves implementing a new “civilizational policy” against “Islamism,” as he has expressed in various forums.

Retailleau consistently proposes to “restore the voice to the French,” meaning preventing newly naturalized citizens of Arab, Islamic, and African descent from voting while retaining their other citizenship rights.

He clarified that this should be achieved through a public referendum, aiming to reclaim the spirit of the modern French republic established by General Charles de Gaulle.

Stance Against Algeria

Retailleau also adopts a hardline position towards Algeria and specifically Algerian migrants.

In May 2023, Republican Party President Eric Ciotti, along with Olivier Marleix, the party group leader in the National Assembly, and Bruno Retailleau, pressured Macron to enact stricter immigration laws, particularly calling for the cancellation of the 1968 Franco-Algerian immigration agreement.

Shortly thereafter, Retailleau introduced a proposal in the Senate condemning the Franco-Algerian agreements. He claimed that Algeria's current behavior poses an obstacle to the urgent need to halt mass migration to France.

In his speech before the Senate, he stated, “There is no reason for us to remain passive in the face of such an uncooperative state.”

Notably, during the riots that followed the police killing of young Nahel Merzouk, who was of Algerian descent, in June 2023, Retailleau called for the “regular reclamation of all the lost territories of the French Republic.” This was a reference to the city of Marseille, which has a significant population of Algerian and Moroccan migrants.

Relationship with ‘Israel’

Bruno Retailleau is a staunch supporter of “Israel” within the French Senate.

Just days after Operation al-Aqsa Flood, on October 11, 2023, he delivered a powerful speech in support of the Israeli Occupations state, asserting his “complete and total solidarity with Israel and the Israeli people” as the leader of the Republicans in Parliament.

During that address, he emphasized the need to take further action, including preparing several resolutions to condemn Operation al-Aqsa Flood, notably insisting on properly labeling the crimes.

He stated that what happened in “Israel” constituted a crime against humanity, rather than a war crime.

He justified this terminology by arguing that “war crime” implies recognizing the Palestinian Resistance Movement (Hamas), as a regular army, whereas he labeled it a “terrorist organization.”

Retailleau directed his remarks to the government, urging it to take measures to scrutinize donations intended for the Palestinian people and to limit them. He claimed this was necessary to ensure that the funds do not end up in the hands of terrorists, referring to the Palestinian Resistance.

Despite the fact that the toll of fatalities from the Israeli aggression on Gaza has exceeded 41,000, Retailleau has not issued any condemnation of Israeli Occupation’s actions in Gaza.

Minister of the Interior

After Bruno Retailleau became Minister of the Interior, one of the most significant ministerial positions in the French government, he quickly expressed his upcoming plans and directions.

It took him less than 48 hours to outline his priorities, with immigration being at the forefront.

“Enough is enough [...] A country is not a train station concourse,” he told the conservative newspaper Le Figaro on September 24, underscoring his commitment to ending the “migratory mess.” 

Later, in an extended interview on TF1's 8 pm news program, he described France as “the most attractive country in Europe” and hinted at the possibility of introducing new legislation.

Retailleau remarked that immigration has significantly impacted French society over the last 50 years, but the French people have not had the “opportunity to express their opinion.”

He said, “Immigration can only be brought under control if we have an overall plan,” emphasizing the need to use "all levers at our disposal.”

The new minister did not rule out the establishment of random checkpoints at the borders to apprehend what he referred to as “trespassers.”

“My job is to reduce illegal immigration, as well as legal immigration,” Retailleau told a parliamentary committee. 

“We need to take back control of migration policies [...] It is untenable. If the number of arrivals is too high, how can we integrate them properly?”

The Socialist leader, Olivier Faure, said that the Barnier administration was “the most rightwing government” in France since the Fifth Republic began in 1958. “The appointment of Bruno Retailleau at the interior ministry is the most striking example of that shift: it’s the reactionary right taking power,” he added.

Ludovic Mendes, a centrist MP, told BFM TV that Retailleau’s appointment was “the return of the old French right.”