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This statistic shows the impact of Benalla affair on the perception of the French regarding the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron in July 2018. In total, ** percent of the respondents said that the affair had a negative impact on the image of Mr. Macron.

This affair refers to a state scandal that erupted in July 2018 after an article in the newspaper Le Monde revealed that Alexandre Benalla, a close associate and responsible for the security of President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron, was identified violently attacking two individuals on the margins of the May 1st demonstrations. Although Mr. Benalla was authorized by the Elysée Palace to attend these demonstrations, he was only authorized as an observer and therefore had no right to intervene directly with the riot police present in the field. Following revelations about this episode, the executive announced that it had already sanctioned the French President's security officer by laying him off for 15 days without pay and downgrading him to the internal organization of the Elysée Palace. However, numerous photographs have shown Mr. Benalla present at several public events.
Following the outcry that this affair provoked, the justice system opened an investigation and the National Assembly set up a Commission of Inquiry.
If this affair is making a lot of noise, it is because it exposes the government's inaction in the face of Mr. Benalla's excesses - according to French commentators and editorial writers. Although the President Macron had been informed of the excesses committed by Mr. Benalla as early as the 2nd of May, a lack of clarity as to the sanctions imposed on this close collaborator, raised suspicions that Mr. Benalla was being protected directly by him.