Macron’s Ex-Aide Benalla Appeals Conviction for May Day Protest Violence

The former assistant to Emmanuel Macron had previously been sentenced in 2021 to three years in prison, two of which were suspended, for the violence committed against demonstrators on May 1, 2018. In addition to the 500 euro fine, the Franco-Moroccan was banned from holding any public office for a period of five years and from possessing a weapon for ten years.

The case was triggered by the publication of a video by the newspaper Le Monde. It shows Benalla, dressed in a riot helmet and police armband, intervening with the police forces. This video, which caused an uproar at the highest level of the state, led to the establishment of a Senate inquiry commission.

The controversy intensified when revelations about developments in the investigation emerged. Among the incidents, the disappearance of a safe during the search of Benalla’s home, the unauthorized use of diplomatic passports, the illegal possession of weapons and suspicious contracts with a Russian oligarch.

The trial, scheduled from June 9 to 16 at the Paris Court of Appeal, will focus on the 2018 violence, the "unauthorized possession of a weapon" in 2017, and the use of diplomatic passports after his dismissal from the Élysée. Despite the initial conviction, Benalla maintained that he had acted as a "responsible citizen" by apprehending individuals who had committed an offense.