« Acalls for murder”, “apology for torture” and “anti-Semitic comments” published online: Bruno Retailleau announced in the evening, Sunday January 5, 2025, the arrest of an Algerian influencer from Montpellier known online under the pseudonym “Doualemn”. This is the third arrest of Algerian influencers in France in three days, after those of two controversial figures, “Zazou Youcef” and “Imadtintin”.
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“Thank you to the state services, magistrates and law enforcement who made it possible to locate and arrest this individual this evening. Don't let anything pass. », Wrote the Minister of the Interior on X.
“I salute the effective action of our law enforcement SRPJ and BAC of the national police34 who, under the authority of the Montpellier public prosecutor, enabled the arrest this evening of the Algerian influencer residing in Montpellier,” immediately wrote the prefect of Hérault, who had contacted the public prosecutor the day before after reports against “Doualemn” for inciting hatred.
Report of an Algerian activist who took refuge in France
It was an Algerian political activist who took refuge in France, Chawki Benzehra, who launched the alert, as reported Le Figaro. “Doualemn”, described as “famous within the Algerian community in the south of France”, is accused of having broadcast a video in which he made comments inciting violence against opponents of the Algerian regime.
According to Chawki Benzehra, he used TikTok, where he is followed by 138,000 subscribers, to launch calls for violence against “those who wanted to demonstrate on January 1 against the Algerian regime”. “Tell yourself that this individual […] delights in the description of acts of torture, records his videos in the city center of Montpellier,” denounced the activist in a message posted on X, since deleted. He also claims that these videos reflect “rampant anti-Semitism” which, according to him, is intensifying in Algeria.
Chawki Benzehra says he has been targeted “by a torrent of death threats” since he “raised the alert on the Algerian influencers affair”
Other arrests to come?
The mayor of Montpellier, Michaël Delafosse, was one of the first to report the “Doualemn” videos for “incitement to hatred”. The prefect of Hérault, François-Xavier Lauch, confirmed having alerted the justice system and denounced, for his part, an “intolerable” sequence on social networks.
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“Imadtintin”, another influencer, was arrested for having supported “Zazou Youcef”, wanted for calls to “commit attacks in France”. In a video that went viral, “Imadtintin” notably said: “I swear to Allah, we are going to rape you all, in Algeria and in France. […] Those who know how to handle weapons will finish you off,” sparking strong indignation on the networks. “Zazou Youcef”, in addition, had already been sentenced in December by the Brest criminal court to 12 months in prison for facts linked to the 2023 riots.
Chawki Benzehra also pointed out the videos of another influencer, “Onitrzek”, followed by 35,000 people on TikTok, the latter having stated in a video: “We are the soldiers from the outside, the sleeping soldiers. […] Algeria is stronger than France militarily. »
