The French left-wing party La France Insoumise (LFI) has refused accreditation for journalists Olivier Pérou and Sandrine Cassini from Le Monde for its annual summer camp.
Pérou and Cassini, both of whom cover the French Left, were denied entry to the four-day event from August 21-24 in Châteauneuf-sur-Isère, despite their newspaper applying through the usual channels.
On August 21, Le Monde accused LFI of attempting to muzzle the press.
“We strongly protest this blatant obstruction of press freedom and access to information,” said the French daily newspaper’s director Jerome Fenoglio said in a column, insisting the newsroom would not be intimidated.
“No party, regardless of political persuasion, has previously issued such a ban on one of our journalists during an event of this type.”
The ban appeared to many to to be a retaliation against Pérou, co-author of La Meute (The Pack), a book portraying LFI as a cult organisation revolving around its leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon.
It described alleged intimidation and threats within the party.
Following its publication, Mélenchon branded the authors “degenerate people” but admitted he had not read their work.
Fenoglio added that the paper would not back down and the two journalists would continue to monitor and report on the party.
“We will not compromise on our freedom to choose our journalists to cover sections or events, which is an integral part of our editorial independence.”
The row quickly spilled over into wider politics. Marine Tondelier, leader of the French Greens and an ally of LFI in parliament, sided with the journalists.
Sharing Le Monde’s denunciation of the party’s move online, she declared: “Freedom of the press. Everywhere. All the time. Simple. Elementary. Vital to our democracy.”
The controversy cast a shadow over LFI summer camp which traditionally marks the end of France’s political summer break.
