France’s security debate intensified after Mathilde Panot, chair of the La France Insoumise group in the National Assembly, said on 6 July that mayors from her party elected in the March 2026 municipal elections would withdraw firearms from municipal police forces and dismantle many video-surveillance networks. Speaking on BFMTV, the lawmaker argued that a "police municipale de proximité" does not need lethal weapons and that officers could be reassigned to a strengthened, nationally controlled community-policing model. The announcement prompted rare unanimity across the political spectrum. Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin accused LFI of "abandoning security," while conservative Île-de-France president Valérie Pécresse, the far-right Rassemblement national and several centre-right figures also condemned the plan. Criticism came from the left as well: Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure said he would not back any mayor who removed cameras or disarmed officers, and PS mayor Karim Bouamrane of Saint-Ouen called the proposal "detached from reality." The clash arrives as delegate minister François-Noël Buffet prepares legislation to expand municipal police powers, including wider authority to check identities and use body-worn cameras. According to the Interior Ministry, about 58 % of France’s municipal officers are currently armed, up from 38 % in 1999. Panot’s stance highlights deep divides on public-safety policy inside the left-wing bloc and is likely to shape campaigning in the run-up to the 2026 local polls.