LCI Twitter Capture
Ruth Elkrief returns to the attack on Jean Luc Mélenchon and his placement under police protection
POLICY – ” Defending the freedom of journalists “. Monday, December 4, the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin announced a “police protection” for LCI journalist Ruth Elkrief, targeted by Jean-Luc Mélenchon the day before on X. In the evening, on the set of her channel LCI, she answered questions from David Pujadas on the subject.
It all started with an interview with the national coordinator of France Insoumise, Manuel Bompard, conducted by Ruth Elkrief on LCI on December 3. Obviously annoyed by the questions asked of his foal, Jean-Luc Mélenchon attacked the journalist personally.
“ Ruth Elkrief. Manipulative. If we don’t insult Muslims, this fanatic is indignant. What a shame ! Well done Manuel Bompard for the reply. Elkrief reduces all political life to his contempt for Muslims,” he tweeted, attracting the wrath of many politicians, including on the left.
Defend the “freedom of journalists to ask questions that displease”
This Monday evening, the journalist said to herself “ injured » for having been criticized for her way of working. “I felt hurt because people seemed to disqualify my way of practicing my profession”, she confided. Thanking politicians of all stripes, TF1 and her fellow journalists who supported her, she added:“It’s about defending the freedom of journalists to ask questions that displease”.
Ruth Elkrief also recalled that she was raised in Morocco “in knowledge and intimate affection for Jewish, Muslim and Christian cultural and religious traditions”. “This is why I believe that only the secular Republic, even if it is mistreated, allows us to live in harmony.”
She specifies, however, that in her opinion there is an essential condition for this: “define yourself by your citizenship and not by your religion or your origins. And not to be referred to it by others. »
“Unleashing hatred on the Internet”
In a press release on Sunday, the TF1 group denounced the “odious invectives and inappropriate insinuations” committed by Jean-Luc Mélenchon. In journalistic circles, this attack was also widely condemned. “Patrick Cohen targeted by the far right, Ruth Elkrief by the far left. Journalists who are trying to intimidate because they are Jewish? So they wouldn’t be objective? Hazard ! We must collectively denounce these practices which threaten freedom of information and democracy”was outraged by her colleague from BMTV, Apolline de Malherbe.
Denouncing a “unleashing of hatred on the Internet” following the tweet of the former presidential candidate, Gérald Darmanin announced that he had therefore decided “to provide police protection” for Ruth Elkrief.
Government spokesperson Olivier Véran described Monday as“despicable attack” and “extremely serious” the statement of Jean-Luc Mélenchon. “Jean-Luc Mélenchon explains to you that the bosses are bastards, that the police kill and that now the journalists are fanatics. At some point, we must ask ourselves the question of the place that Jean-Luc Mélenchon occupies in the public debate”declared Olivier Véran on RTL.
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