The Leonarda affair, the case of a teenager who was arrested while on a school trip on October 8 before being deported to Kosovo along with her five brothers and sisters, has left French President François Hollande in a difficult situation.
Le Figaro reports that Hollande’s proposal to the effect that “if she wishes, the Kosovar secondary school student can continue her studies in France but without her family,” has met with considerable opposition.
“The proposal is struggling to gain approval in the PS [Socialist Party]”, notes Le Figaro, which reports that it is supported by Interior Minister Manuel Valls, but by neither the party’s first secretary nor the Greens.
The conservative daily lambasts the head of state —
[...]for a misleading and confusing mix-up. [...] Leonarda was deported in accordance with the law, but the young woman has been allowed to return. Generosity demands that she should be allowed to return, but only if she is separated from her family. Go figure!