For more than a week now, the video has been making the rounds on social networks, despite its regular deletion. Shortly after Christmas, and while TF1 had just dedicated a documentary in Arthur’s honor to celebrate his 30 years of career, images published on X revealed particularly inappropriate behavior on the part of the host.
A video deleted several times
On the set of the show “To take where to leave”, we see him kissing a candidate on the mouth without asking her permission – a sexual assault, therefore –, lifting up the skirt of another woman, simulating spankings , or even utter numerous sexualizing phrases.
Recovered by hundreds of Internet users, the video was deleted several times, as reported by the CerfiaFR account, stating: “This post was reported directly to X, and our account was even locked! Obviously , we will appeal to prevent its deletion. It is extremely rare that this happens to us. If the post is deleted, it will not be our fault.
Consequence: many Internet users cried out for censorship, claiming that Arthur had “mobilized his team of lawyers” to bury the video.
Explanations from the author of the video
If the video was widely shared on social networks, few accounts have specified that the initial editing was produced by journalist Alice Welter and published on December 3 on her Luxembourg feminist Instagram account l’Effrontée.
The latter decided to delete her video herself, telling Libération: “I read that Arthur’s lawyers had contacted me but that is not at all the case. I preferred to delete my video for fear of copyright, because many accounts were suspended by relaying my video on Twitter.”
A question of copyright
After its publication, the video was relayed on Instagram, then on X, TikTok and even YouTube. However, the videos in question were often censored for the same reason: “Following a report from the copyright holder.”
The Klooz account sent CheckNews journalists a copyright complaint email sent by the president is Arthur – real name Jacques Essebag.” The email would be written in the first person: “Take it or leave it” show that I produced and hosted for several years on TF1.”
On the show “Take it or leave it”. Please delete as soon as possible this contentious content which uses and targets my person”, supporting screenshots. And adds a right of reply: “Mr Arthur Essebag, we have not truncated anything: they are good excerpts from your old show. Furthermore, we have not defamed anything, because our publication is factual, sourced in comments and is based on an article from the Huffington Post and Le Parisien. We will, of course, appeal to X. We value freedom of expression and information.”
A mobilization of lawyers?
But then, was there really a “mobilization of lawyers”, as many Internet users have claimed? The answer is no, according to Cerveaux’s explanations not available to Libération. “We contacted several other media and activist accounts to explain the situation to them and tell them to take the risk of publishing the montage to denounce Arthur’s problematic method of wanting to censor it,” says a spokesperson for the account, before clarify: “We cannot say that there are lawyers behind the reports, but we can imagine that they are people from the legal department of his company. We may have taken a shortcut.”
Contacted by CheckNews, Arthur’s lawyers indicated that they did not want to comment on the subject.
