The French Society of Journalists (SDJ) representing members at TV news channels BFM and RMC has called for the dismissal of the commentator Barbara Lefebvre over “hateful remarks that damage the newsroom’s reputation”.
“Despite repeated warnings issued to management, we believe that her hateful remarks and the many controversies she generates damage the reputation and image of our newsrooms,” the journalists’ group said in a press release late on June 11.
Lefebvre’s controversial statements mostly revolved around the Israel/Gaza conflicts, including: “All the hostages must be recovered, and when that’s done, the Gaza Strip must be emptied.”
The call from the SDJ for her dismissal followed a previous statement by RMC and BFM condemning comments made by Lefebvre on the programme Les Grandes Gueules (Loudmouths), in which she justified a declaration she had made earlier on Israeli news channel i24 News regarding the Palestinians in Gaza.
In February 2024, Lefebvre claimed on i24 News: “Civilians in Gaza are just as responsible as members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad,” adding that, at some point, that “will have to be paid for dearly”.
At the time, RMC and BFM released a statement denouncing the comments, arguing that they did not reflect their editorial line.
The SDJ said it believed that freedom of expression was fundamental and the guests were entitled to hold strong opinions and to defend them on air.
It argued, though, that Lefebvre failed to understand that freedom of expression also “comes with respect for the law, human dignity and the prohibition of spreading false information or inciting hatred and prejudice”.
Following the SDJ press release, left-wing MPs have reacted, including those from La France Insoumise (LFI) party.
Commenting on the broader media implications of the SDJs’ demand, Antoine Léaument, one of LFI’s prominent figures, argued: “This stance by the journalists’ association of BFMTV and RMC is very significant. It states that higher quality information is possible.”
Another left-wing MP, Aymeric Caron, criticised what he saw as double standards regarding Lefebvre. “Clearly, her immoral and unlawful positions would have led to the exclusion of any other person if they had not targeted Palestinians. Her continued presence on air is a racist decision by her superiors,” he said.
Despite SDJ’s statement, Lefebvre still appeared on Les Grandes Gueules on June 12.
The Israeli-Gaza conflict spurring increased concern in France. On June 4, workers at a port in Marseille blocked a cargo ship headed for Israel after they found it had 19 pallets of machine-gun parts on board.
The workers said they refused to be complicit in what they said were Israel’s war crimes.
French President Emmanuel Macron has also said it was now time to recognise the Palestinian State.
