During a hearing of the parliamentary inquiry committee on public broadcasting this Thursday at the National Assembly, Erwan Balanant, a member of parliament from the Les Démocrates (MoDem) group, made a gaffe, saying to Charles Alloncle "We'll sort you out!"
The scene occurred while the management of the Mediawan production group was being questioned by the commission. After asking his question, Balanant stood up, pointed at the rapporteur, and shouted at him in front of witnesses: "Don't worry, we'll sort you out!" Charles Alloncle described these words as an explicit threat, adding that it was an attempt at intimidation. "Completely unacceptable in the context of parliamentary proceedings."
When the session resumed, the rapporteur emphasized the seriousness of these remarks, stating that they went beyond a simple misunderstanding and calling for a meeting of the National Assembly's bureau to consider possible sanctions. He also stated that Balanant should apologize.
Erwan Balanant gives his version of events and apologizes.
In a message posted on social media, Balanant offered a different version of the incident. He stated:
"My response to the Chairman and the Rapporteur of the inquiry committee on public broadcasting:"
We spend long hours listening to your questions before having very little time to ask our own.
Today, Céline Calvez and I had 10 minutes of the more than 4 hours of hearing.
Mr. Rapporteur, as at all hearings, stood up to leave when we asked questions.
After my question and the answer given, I signaled to the President to thank him and to indicate that I was leaving because I had to keep an appointment.
The Rapporteur then made a gesture that I found obscene and disrespectful towards me.
I replied to him verbally. And my remarks at that time obviously concerned his report and the concrete proposals that many of us will make to highlight the importance of public broadcasting and the development of the French cultural industry.
So I hope I misinterpreted his gesture and I simply ask him not to distort or over-interpret my remarks which obviously only concerned the substance of our debates and he knows it.
In this case, I had no problem apologizing to him. at the end of the hearing, and perhaps he could also retract the fact that he called me a thug, because indeed, our discussions deserve better than pointless quarrels.
