This Saturday, April 4th, journalist Nassira El Moaddem chose the radio to voice what many whisper when the pressure mounts: she feels alone. After filing a complaint against Thierry Meignen, senator and former LR mayor of Blanc-Mesnil (Seine-Saint-Denis), for death threats, she denounced on France Inter "the silence of the authorities" and "the silence of the government." Short sentence, sharp tone. At the heart of the matter lies a simple, almost brutal idea: one can threaten a journalist and receive, in return, only institutional calm.
Her words are those of a professional reminding everyone of the fundamental principles of journalism. "I don't understand why, in this country, the authorities don't react with outrage when a journalist receives death threats solely for doing her job," she insisted. The affair became public on March 23, when Le Monde reported remarks attributed to Thierry Meignen, remarks of raw violence: "I'm going to get her convicted of defamation. I'm going to whip her. I'll go all the way, she's going to die, I'll kill her." This type of statement is not simply an unfortunate quip; it establishes a power dynamic and a climate of fear.
"She's going to die, I'll kill her": words that leave their mark
At the heart of the matter is also a book. In *Main basse sur la ville* (Takeover of the City), published last month by Stock, Nassira El Moaddem recounts the two terms of Thierry Meignen, elected in 2014 to head a city long held by the Communists. She describes practices she considers questionable, concerning the awarding of public contracts, a "witch hunt" targeting the previous municipal team, and political connections that, she writes, extend to cronyism with the far right. When a journalistic investigation delves into local life, its networks, and its customs, the backlash is often proportional to how much it disturbs.
Now comes the judicial process, the one that doesn't make headlines but reveals whether the Republic stands firm when the press is attacked. The complaint has been filed, the statements have been made public, and the accusation of "silence" has been leveled, like a challenge thrown down to the institutions. In an era where words run rampant and intimidation becomes just another tool, this case could become a major test: that of the authorities' ability to respond clearly when the threat shifts sides and targets those who report the facts.
Community
Comments
Comments are open, but protected against spam. Initial posts and comments containing links undergo manual review.
Be the first to comment on this article.