“So that the extreme right does not get their hands on Bayard”

«The platform is ready, with more than 250 signatures it is sent to the Assumptionists, as well as to the management», We were told this morning. In the space of three days, authors, illustrators and illustrators came together to write a common text.

Certainly, the group's management is backing down on its positions, after the abandonment of a stake in ESJ Paris and the departure of Alban from Rostu, but “that she considers it to be a flower demonstrates how no one in the upper echelons understood what it was all about“, we assure ActuaLitté. Their text is offered here in full.

So that the far right does not get their hands on Bayard

We, authors published by Bayard and Milan, share the very deep concern of the group's employees in the face of the alarming signals of rapprochement with the extreme right sent by the new management board in place for several weeks. The announcement of the arrival as management consultant, responsible for the strategy and development of the Alban du Rostu group, of one of the relatives of the ultraconservative billionaire Pierre-Édouard Stérin, director of the Common Good Fund, is the final stage of a dismaying turnaround.

This former right-hand man of the billionaire appears in the organization chart of the Périclès project (Patriots, Rooted, Resistant, Identitarian, Christian, Liberal, European, Sovereignist) among the three founders and administrators alongside Pierre-Édouard Stérin. However, this project openly announces its campaign to infiltrate areas of cultural influence in order to allow the National Rally to gain power. Its three stated objectives “to serve and save France» evoke, in addition to a battle plan for an electoral victory and a political victory in the next elections, an ideological victory.

In a document dated September 28, 2023, they list the trends to combat: “refusal of national preference, Islamism, wokism, liberticidal laws, uncontrolled immigration, socialism and statism, aggressive secularism“. How do they plan to achieve this? For “make our ideas the majority now» they write, these include “promote our ideas in a clear, argued and coherent manner”, to “discredit and attack opposing ideas», « to impose our themes» all through the media and intellectual production.

In this same document, they clearly announce the color: “Objective: After electoral victory, a lasting political victory requires relying on competent and convinced men of power, both from the public and the private sector.» Follow the photos of Jordan Bardella and Marine Le Pen, as the leaders of tomorrow to whom the members of Pericles must stay close. Finally, on page 21 of the same document, Alban du Rostu appears, with supporting photo, as one of the three founders and administrators of the Pericles project.

These are facts, not opinions or attempts at intent. If “Bayard is not for sale» as the group's board of directors repeats, infiltration at the highest levels of press and publishing organs is part of the strategy put in place to lead the extreme right to power.

Bayard employees were already deeply moved to discover last week that Bayard had just taken a stake in the ESJ, a journalism school not recognized by the profession, alongside investors such as Vincent Bolloré, whose Catholicism ultraconservative who fights for the extreme right no longer needs to be demonstrated.

They are now demanding Alban's departure from Rostu and want to reaffirm the values of openness, fraternity and tolerance which are specific to their company. We, authors published by Bayard and Milan, call on the shareholder, the congregation of the Assumptionists, a Catholic publisher having always supported the multiplicity of views and thoughts, and advocated a generous humanism: we support the approach of the employees and will not let our works exploited for the benefit of a strategy contrary to our values.

Writing and drawing, creating and inventing for a young audience is not a trivial process. Through our books we seek to support children so that they grow with confidence in this world, to awaken their appetite for discovery, their desire to understand, their desire to reach out to others, we work to help them become citizens who think and act. Reading is not a trivial act. Reading allows freedom of thought and action.

READ – At Bayard, employees mobilized: “We see that the subject is serious”

The freedom to choose who you want to become without blinders, without constraints or taboo. In the diversity of forms and works that we design, with our differences of opinion, we do not recognize ourselves in conservative and reactionary values and cannot let them spread to the direction of the group that publishes us.

First 310 signatories as of December 2, 2024

Murielle Szac, Marie-Aude Murail, Paul Martin, Serge Bloch, Hervé Tullet, Anne-Laure Bondoux, Marc Boutavant, Emmanuel Guibert, Bernard Friot, Anne Didier, Olivier Muller, Manon Fargetton, Lewis Trondheim, Susie Morgenstern, Jacqueline Cohen, Évelyne Brisou-Pellen, Rémi Courgeon, Thierry Gaudin, Pascal Lemaître, Marie-Agnès Gaudrat, Jo Hoestlandt, Olivier Balez, Tibo Bérard, Anne-Marie Desplat-Duc, Malika Ferdjoukh, Romain Ronzeau, Ludivine Irolla, Thomas Baas, Clémentine Beauvais, Yvan Pommaux, Serge Hefez, Magali Le Huche, Xavier Deneux, Olivia Sautreuil, Séverine Vidal, Jennifer Darlymple, Sophie Van der Linden, Albert Moukheiber, Joëlle Jolivet, Bruno Gibert, Emile Jadoul, Vincent Caut, Lucie Durbiano, Marie Pavlenko, Anaïs Sautier, Ségolène Valente, Esmé Planchon, Anne Schmauch, Camille Roy, Stella Lory, Olivier Deloye, Sophie Noël, Claire Clément, Nathalie Choux, Juni Ba, Stéphanie Duval, Fabien Öckto Lambert, Stéphanie Rubini, Georgette, Laure du Faÿ, Vérane Cottin, Baptiste Massa, Anne Isabelle Le Touzé, Marion Cocklico, Marie Paruit, Catherine de Lasa, Marie-Hélène Delval, Jean-Luc Marçais, Alain Korkos, Rémi Malingrey, Sylvain Frécon, Mélanie Edwards, Jacques Azam, Quentin Vijoux, Julie Olivi, Laurence Bouvard, PrincessH, Nicolas Dabas, Marie-Élise Masson, Dorothée de Monfreid, Caroline Hüe, Rosalind Elland-Goldsmith, Alix Garnier, Rachel Corenblit, Marie Aubinais, Manu Boisteau, Berit Fischbach, Léo Louis-Honoré, Zelda Pressigout, Cléry Dubourg, Théo Calmejane, Charline Giquel, Delphine Panique, Alexandre Géraudie, Camille Blandin, Khassatu Ba, Alix Garin, Sylvain Bordesoules, Frédéric Rébéna, Marion Duclos, Justine Sow, Paul Rey, Irène Tardif, Eloïse Héritier, Pierre Serisier, Marjolaine Boutet, Géraldine Meignan, Sylvain Loscos, Émilie Valentin, Marie Bretin, Mélusine Allirol, Marion Piffaretti, Kiko, Anne-Sophie Baumann, Celune, Clémence Sabbagh, Christine Davenier, Jeanne Boyer, Sarah Turoche, Sibylle Delacroix, Chloé Davenis, Marina Philippart, Géraldine Collet, Emilie Chazerand, Samir Senoussi , Patricia Berreby, Kidi Bebey, Alban Marilleau, Emmanuelle Grundmann, Erwann Surcouf, Christophe Bataillon, Romain Gallissot, Pascal Jousselin, Emmanuelle Figueras, Estelle Vidard, Anjuna Boutan, Sandra Laboucarie, Wouzit, Zelda Zonk, Laure Pansiot, Jérémie Dres, Laura Orban, Joséphine Lebard, Didier Balicevic, Benoît Marchon, Julien Frey, Sandrine Herrenschmidt, Noëlle Herrenschmidt, Aurore Damant, Catherine Loizeau, Marion Puech, Nancy Peña, Manon Paulic, Colonel Moutarde, Claire Renaud, Nicolas Hubesch, Isabelle Maroger, Béatrice Veillon, Amélie Falière, Manu Causse-Plisson, Joëlle Dreidemy, Claude Delafosse, Régis Lejonc, Florence Hinckel, Eve Pisler, Oceane Meklemberg, Soledad Bravi, Alexandra Garibal, Alexandre Franc, Anne Langlois, Anne Renaud, Anett Hardy, Audrey Guiller, Bastien Jalibert, Benjamin Strickler, Benoit Bajon, Benoît Marchon, Camille Pichon, Célia Flaux, Chloé Almeras, Claire Alet, Claudia Bielinsky, Clément Fabre, Clotka, David de Thuin, Églantine Ceulemans, Élodie Durand, Émile Jadoul, Emmanuelle Grundmann, Fabienne Teyssedre, Frank Escoubes, Frédérick Mansot, Giovanni Jouzeau, Guillaume Dumont, Guillaume Long, Gwenaëlle Dudek, Jess Pauwels, Julie Rembauville, Laurence Fey, Léa Yancis, Loïc Méhée, Loïc Sécheresse, Mabrouck Rachedi, Magali Attiogbé, Marie de Monsabert, Marie Touly, Mathieu Demore, Mim, Myriam Alizon, Nadège Larcher, Nicolas Blanco-Levrin, Nicolas Francescon, Nicolas Lafitte, Nob, Obion, Pascale Bouchié, Peter Elliot, Philippe Derrien, Philippe Dorin, Pierre Caillou, Raphaël Beuchot, Raphaël Chassol, Raphaël Martin, Roger Zanni, Roland Garrigue, Samuel Stento, Sandrine Beau, Souleymane Mbodj, Stéphanie Ledu, Thierry Bedouet, Thom Pico, Tristan Mory, Véronique Cohen, Véronique Foz, Vincent Guigue, Vincent Sorel, Virginie Vidal, Zelda Zonk, Laurent Audouin, Marc Dubuisson, Catherine Chardonnay, Samuel Loussouarn, Renaud Perrin, Aude Soleilhac, Muriel Zürcher, Maïa Brami, Déborah Mirabel, Agnès Barber, Jérôme Anfré, Marc Lizano, Léon Bloch, Mickaël Jourdan, Natacha Scheidhauer, Marc Cantin, Isabel, Nathalie Dieterlé, Olivier Latyk, Colette Hus-David, Philippe Masson , Lucile Placin, Naïr Nahapétian, Sybilline, Rim Battal, Aurélie Sarrazin, Marie Voyelle, Elsa Bordier, Iegor Gran, Lucie Brunellière, Sylvain Pattieu, James Christ, Charles Dutertre, Charif Majdalani, Sophie Nanteuil, Marion Montaigne, Estelle-Sarah Bulle, Maud Begon, Frédéric Bagères , Ulysse Malassagne, Pascal Prévot, Alain Chiche, Mathieu de Muizon, Jeanne Berthelot, Pascale Hédélin, Michèle Bayard, Danièle Laufer, Cédric Vallet, Jean Berthelot, Éléna Selena, Anne-Gaëlle Balpe, Gigi Bigot, Arnaud Nebbache, Anouk Ricard, René Escudié, Delphine Renon, Aurélie Abolivier , Sébastien Pelo, Anne Rivière, Pauline Pons, Germain Barthélémy, Julie Safier-Guizard, Tinoland, Guillaume Nail, Antoine Dodé, Léa German, Aurélie Neyret, Benjamin Lacombe, Ewen Blain, Irène Bonacina, Juliette Mellon, Sophie Lodwit, Sébastien Pelo, Sidonie Van den Dries, Matthieu Méron, Ilya Green…