The state decided to protect it. Gérald Darmanin announced Monday that he had placed LCI journalist Ruth Elkrief under police protection, accused on Sunday by Jean-Luc Mélenchon on the social network X (formerly Twitter) of being a “fanatic” and of despising Muslims. “I decided this morning given the threats from Jean-Luc Mélenchon and others, since it is an unleashing of hatred on the internet, to provide police protection” to the columnist, declared the Minister of the Interior on BFMTV.
“He puts a target on the back of Ruth Elkrief who has already had many threats as a journalist,” added Gérald Darmanin, pointing out the “irresponsibility” of the leader of France Insoumise. Government spokesperson Olivier Véran on Monday described Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s declaration as a “vile attack”. “Calling Ruth Elkrief a fanatic is extremely serious,” said Olivier Véran on RTL.
TF1 “strongly deplores the odious invectives”
In reaction to tense exchanges on LCI on Sunday between Ruth Elkrief and LFI coordinator Manuel Bompard, particularly on the situation in the Middle East, Jean-Luc Mélenchon attacked the journalist: “Ruth Elkrief. Manipulative. If we do not insult Muslims, this fanatic will be indignant,” he wrote.
Asked about the accusations of anti-Semitism made against Jean-Luc Mélenchon after these messages, Gérald Darmanin estimated that “it is above all a journalist who is attacked”. “Jean-Luc Mélenchon is not the greatest defender of Jews that I know,” he added, however.
“The TF1 group firmly supports Ruth Elkrief and strongly deplores the odious invectives and inappropriate insinuations to which she is the subject,” for its part wrote on X the audiovisual group, parent company of the LCI news channel.