World
Mélenchon says he will skip TF1 evening newscast after Édouard Philippe interview
The La France insoumise leader criticized TF1 for allowing Édouard Philippe to speak uninterrupted about immigration and looting. TF1 said Mélenchon’s planned appearance had already been canceled or postponed at the end of last week.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon said on Sunday night that he would not appear on TF1’s main evening newscast after criticizing an interview the network had just aired with Édouard Philippe. The La France insoumise leader said the Horizons candidate had been allowed to deliver what he described as a repugnant message about immigration and looting without interruption, and he accused him of making racist slanders.
According to France Info, Mélenchon also targeted anchor Anne-Claire Coudray, saying she had echoed those claims during the interview.
TF1 said on Monday, in comments to AFP cited by France Info and also reported by Le Monde, that Mélenchon’s appearance on the program was no longer scheduled and had been canceled or postponed at the end of last week, without specifying who initiated the programming change. The network added that it was therefore not a decision made in response to Philippe’s interview.
The broadcaster also defended Anne-Claire Coudray, saying on X that she conducted the interview with professionalism and rigor while questioning Philippe about remarks he had made in Le Point.
During Sunday’s interview, Édouard Philippe stood by earlier comments about an overrepresentation of young people from immigrant backgrounds in the violence surrounding the October 17 demonstrations, wording that left-wing figures had condemned as stigmatizing.
Later, the two politicians continued their exchange on X. Philippe accused Mélenchon of portraying looters and violent far-left agitators as models of integration and victims of police. Mélenchon then answered by accusing Philippe of racialist clientelism.
France Info added that, since the racist attack in Trappes, members of La France insoumise have been accusing television networks of allowing far-right racist rhetoric to spread.
Sources
About this piece. Written by El Notero with AI assistance, from reporting published by the outlet cited above. El Notero did no original reporting on this story.
