During the inauguration of the 36th edition of the Visa pour l'Image photojournalism festival in Perpignan, this Saturday, August 31, a controversy broke out around the presentation of the 2024 Perpignan City Rémi Ochlik Prize. The RN mayor of Perpignan, Louis Aliot, announced that he refused to present this prize to the Gazan photographer Loay Ayyoub, winner for his series of photos on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
“I will not be presenting the award this year, neither I nor anyone from the city,” said Louis Aliot, explaining that he was “very uncomfortable with Loay Ayyoub’s treatment of this war.” The photojournalist documented the consequences of Israeli strikes on civilians in Gaza, notably for the American newspaper The Washington Post . His work covers a five-month period, from October 2023 to February 2024, including his time in exile in Egypt.
The mayor justified his decision by pointing out that, on social networks, Loay Ayyoub refers to Hamas as the "Palestinian Resistance," which, according to Aliot, is problematic: "We can criticize Israel but there must be a counterpart and a balance in the statement." He added that he would have preferred to reward "a journalist who is totally independent of Hamas."
Jean-François Leroy, the festival's director, responded by recalling that the prize is awarded by a jury of international cinematographers and that "Mr. Aliot gives me complete freedom in my choices." Leroy stressed that the jury had voted in favor of Loay Ayyoub, and that he did not have to interpret the mayor's decision.
The controversy reflects tensions surrounding media representation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a particularly sensitive subject in the context of photojournalism.
Alice Leroy
