As part of his “5 sur 5” on Wednesday June 26, 2024 on France 5, Lorrain Sénéchal reported that several journalists had been the target of racist messages. He said that one of his classmates C to you had been targeted by this type of attack.
Mohamed Bouhafsi revealed, via his social networks, around ten racist messages of which he was the target. He was treated there as “Arabic halls” and of “scum”. Since its publication, Anne-Elisabeth Lemoine’s columnist has received new attacks. “Racist messages are nothing new. Here, it’s different because there is a sort of before and after June 9 (date of the National Rally’s victory in the European elections, editor’s note)?”asked the host.
“I’ve never experienced this…” : the testimony of Mohamed Bouhafsi, victim of racist insults, in C to you
“I’ve been doubting whether to broadcast these images for ten days, I’ve been saying to myself: Am I going to show them? Am I going to shed light on these people? I was lucky to cover the 2022 presidential election for C to you, I haven’t experienced that. A few days ago, a man came to see me in Loiret and said to me: ‘But you are not like them. other bougnoules’ And that’s what we’ve been seeing for a few days… And when I hear on certain sets that there’s no freedom to speak, it touches me…”reacted with emotion the columnist who was insulted and struck by the “son of a famous actor”.
He admitted to receiving four to five racist messages per day since June 9. “This word did not exist during the 2022 presidential election. I had never experienced that (…) It’s quite unpleasant and it’s also unpleasant for our loved ones who receive it, I’m thinking in particular of my mother and my sister. And we say to ourselves: But why?!”deplored the man who had a heated exchange with Patrick Cohen on the set of It’s up to you.
Anne-Elisabeth Lemoine appeared very moved by the testimony of her columnist who then insisted on letting out a rant. “I would like people to stop essentializing me based on my first name or my last name or my supposed origin or my supposed religion (…) I’m tired of people telling me: ‘You’re a jerk, you’re a Muslim, a dirty Arab’. Who knows my life? Who knows in the evening when I come home, what my values are? What are my origins? What is my religion?”said the one whose France 5 colleague, Karim Rissouli, was also the victim of racist messages.
Mohamed Bouhafsi called for him to be essentialized only as a French journalist. “Let people stop bringing me back to this Rebeu, Muslim, Arab, Arab side. I am a French journalist, citizen, that’s all and nothing else. It’s quite upsetting to say to ourselves that we fight every day to unite people and to eat that every day… We’re not made for that and we don’t get up in the morning for that!”he continued.
The columnist received the support of his comrades from C to you. Anne-Elisabeth Lemoine wanted to display it publicly. “This is unacceptable and all our support, all the support of the team to Mohamed, to all the France Télévisions journalists who are the target, but also to all French people who could encounter these unbearable situations”she said.
