François Ruffin admits to some clumsy moments in his comic strip but dismisses accusations of racism made by his former allies.

The publication in early May of his graphic novel, "Picardie Splendor, the Adventures of François Ruffin, Reporter-Deputy," sparked a frontal attack by several figures within La France Insoumise against the Somme deputy. Criticized for depictions deemed problematic, François Ruffin acknowledged that certain sequences in the book could offend some readers, while refusing to endorse the accusations of racism and paternalism leveled against him by his former political allies.

Among the most commented-on passages is a scene in which Ruffin pays the train fare for a woman who has been fined by a ticket inspector, while simultaneously asking another passenger to "respect the police" after the latter objects to the woman being addressed informally. LFI MP Ersilia Soudais described this scene as an illustration of the "white savior complex," while the mayor of La Courneuve, Aly Diouara, denounced it as "blatant racism" coupled with "sexist condescension." MP Hadrien Clouet, for his part, criticized a passage in which Ruffin asserts that "women from Normandy and people from the suburbs," "white women and North Africans" are "not meant to meet."

This controversy can also be interpreted as a presidential settling of scores.

In response to these attacks, Ruffin defended an artistic approach based on empathy rather than pedagogy, stating that his primary aim was to "give a voice to the invisible (forklift operators, truck drivers, home care workers) who keep the country running." MEP Emma Fourreau, for her part, publicly advised against "reading or buying" the book, which she described as "riddled with racism and paternalism, featuring the figure of the white savior."

The virulence of the attack by the left-wing activist is also explained by a broader context: since his recent critical statements regarding "labor migration" and the construction of his own independent presidential path for 2027, the break between Ruffin and La France Insoumise (LFI) has become increasingly brutal. The man who once embodied a unique sensibility within the Mélenchonist movement—popular and rooted in working-class areas—is now perceived by his former allies as a full-fledged adversary.