French media outlets are raising alarms regarding the increasing violence and harassment directed at journalists as the presidential election campaign approaches. News directors and reporters express concern that these hostile conditions will make covering the electoral period extremely difficult, citing both on-the-ground attacks and verbal assaults from political personalities.
The tension was highlighted late on Friday, October 30, when no BFM-TV journalists attended a memorial ceremony in Trappes organized by Mayor Ali Rabeh. This decision came one week after a racist attack in Trappes and La Verrière that killed one person and injured seven others. Fabien Namias, the general director of the continuous news channel, explained to Le Monde that the choice not to send reporters was made out of responsibility to protect their teams. He described the withdrawal as a defeat and a renunciation that comes at a cost, but insisted it was the most protective decision available, noting that the channel had technically ensured it could still broadcast the mayor's speech.
This incident reflects the broader strain on media operations at the start of the campaign. Just six days prior, on October 24, a BFM-TV team in Trappes was confronted by a crowd and filmed being evacuated from the scene. On that same day, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the presidential candidate for La France insoumise, publicly challenged another BFM-TV reporter covering demonstrations in Paris regarding purchasing power and public services. Speaking live, Mélenchon told the journalist to calm down on remarks of all kinds of racism, stating that such behavior had gone on long enough.
Sources: Le Monde Économie.