Jean-Luc Mélenchon, founder of La France insoumise, was questioned on December 6, 2025, before a parliamentary inquiry commission on links between political movements and Islamist networks. He stated that his movement will never accept religious entrism and claimed to have been cleared by the commission's findings. Mélenchon defended secularism while rejecting accusations of antisemitism and leniency toward Islamism.
The inquiry commission, initiated by Les Républicains (LR) deputies, is examining alleged links between political movements and Islamist networks. Established after heated debates, it is chaired by LR's Xavier Breton and is set to conclude its work around December 10, 2025. It has questioned about thirty individuals, including intelligence experts, academics, and Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, initially summoned for the previous Tuesday but rescheduled to Saturday, December 6, due to his schedule, adopted a scholarly and affable tone during his hearing. « La France insoumise n’acceptera jamais l’entrisme religieux », he stated, emphasizing that « the question of the State's secularism is foundational » for his movement. He acknowledged « the existence of an Islamist threat among many others », while urging to distinguish « Islam from Islamism » and « Islamism from terrorism ».
Mélenchon referenced prior hearings of intelligence officials, who found no links between LFI and Islamists. He cited the report on Muslim Brotherhood entrism, whose authors, like Pascal Courtade, noted no observed national strategy within political parties. « Your commission has already produced the documents that absolutely clear us », he added.
Facing accusations of pandering to the Muslim electorate through the Gaza campaign or associating with Islamists for the 2026 municipal elections, he denied any sympathy for the Iranian regime and opposed all theocratic regimes. On antisemitism, he dismissed criticisms from Renaissance deputy Prisca Thevenot: « You weren’t born yet, I was helping Jews leave the USSR ». He defended a professor from Lyon-II University suspended for calling certain mostly Jewish figures « genocidaires to boycott », stating the teacher is not antisemitic.
Mélenchon advocated for a secularism that protects worship, in line with the 1905 law, and warned against temptations to regulate religious practices like wearing the veil or fasting. After him, Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin was heard, focusing on general radicalization, particularly in prisons.
The commission's bureau composition, lacking left-wing representatives, has drawn criticism, especially from Marine Tondelier, leader of the Ecologists and the only other party head questioned, who accuses it of fostering a « permanent climate of suspicion » toward Muslims.