They made violent comments on social networks. Three Franco-Algerian influencers from the Lyon region have been reported for hateful videos, announced Monday January 6 Fabienne Buccio, prefect of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.
These reports come in a context of increased vigilance by the authorities, while three Algerian influencers have already been arrested in Brest (Finistère), Echirolles (Isère) and Montpellier (Hérault) in recent days for direct provocation of an act of terrorism, an apology for terrorism, or public provocation to commit a crime. Franceinfo returns to their profiles.
Three influencers from the Lyon region targeted
The three Franco-Algerian influencers from the Lyon region are in the sights of the authorities for hateful videos, the prefecture announced on Monday, confirming information from Actu Lyon. “Several influencers calling for hatred or violence in videos published on TikTok have been reported to the competent authorities by the Rhône prefecture in Lyon,” wrote on X Fabienne Buccio.
According to the prefect's services, these are influencers supposed to reside in Lyon or around the city, who published “more or less recently” videos on accounts called Sofia Benlemmane, Abdesslam Bazooka and Laksas06. The first, followed by hundreds of thousands of people, was notably criticized for a live on TikTok produced in September in which she insulted another woman in Arabic by throwing at her “fuck your mother, you and your France”.
The influencer nicknamed Abdesslam Bazooka attacked opponents of the Algerian government, described as “traitors” that he threatens to“cut throat”. Laksas06, for his part, took up on December 11 a sound from another Franco-Algerian in which members of the Algerian diaspora in France are presented as “sleeping soldiers” ready to become “martyrs” to defend Algeria.
Zazou Youssef arrested in Brest and placed in pre-trial detention
On Friday, Youcef A., a 25-year-old man called Zazou Youssef on TikTok, was arrested in Brest for a video in which he called in Arabic for attacks in France and violence in Algeria. The Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau, confirmed Friday evening on X that Zazou Youssef had been arrested, and that he should “answer for one's actions before the courts“. “Don't let anything pass“, he added. Placed in pre-trial detention, the man with 400,000 subscribers will be tried on February 24 for “apology of terrorism” and faces seven years in prison.
The prefect of Finistère, Alain Espinasse, also claims to have notified the influencer on April 18, 2024 of an obligation to leave French territory (OQTF), specifying that the young man was neither on S file nor identified for radicalization. According to TikTok, interviewed by AFP, the account in question “was banned after the publication of several videos identified as infringing [les] community rules, including our hate policies.” “Six copies of the affected videos” were also detected and removed, TikTok says.
Imad Tintin arrested in Echirolles
Friday evening, another Algerian, aged 31 and targeted by an OQTF, was arrested in Echirolles, near Grenoble, reports France 3 Auvergne Rhône-Alpes. Nicknamed Imad Tintin, who calls himself alias “Bledar du luxe” on TikTok, is on trial Monday in immediate appearance for “direct provocation to an act of terrorism”. The Minister of the Interior once again reacted to this arrest on social networks.
His arrest followed a denunciation by Chawki Benzehra, who presented himself on X as an Algerian activist who had taken refuge in France and lived in Lyon. According to him, the Isère influencer published a video on TikTok, since removed, calling for “burn alive, kill and rape on French soil any person who opposes the Algerian regime”.
Doualemn arrested in Montpellier
On Sunday, an Algerian influencer nicknamed Doualemn with more than 139,000 subscribers on TikTok was also arrested in Montpellier for having published a video in which he called for “kill” et “to cause pain” a demonstrator opposed to the government of Algiers, during a mobilization on January 1st. The mayor of Montpellier Michaël Delafosse took legal action following this video, reports “ici Hérault”.
A report was also made by the prefect of Hérault François-Xavier Lauch, he announced on X. The prefecture also informed AFP that it was studying the possibility of withdrawing his residence permit to this influencer and take an OQTF against him. The Montpellier public prosecutor's office finally clarified to France 3 Occitanie that it “Immediately referred the Montpellier police station for an investigation into the charge of public and direct provocation and no follow-up to commit a crime.”
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