Eight months before the presidential election, France Inter entrusts a program to Merwane Benlazar, a comedian very committed to opposing the National Rally.

Eight months before the presidential election, France Inter has chosen to entrust a new Sunday program to Merwane Benlazar and Mehdi Maïzi. Starting August 30th, "Chez la belle-famille" (At the In-Laws' Place) will air every Sunday at 17 p.m. on the public radio station, featuring a roast format and humorous debates between guests. This choice is sure to raise eyebrows, given Merwane Benlazar's very strong political stances.

Already a commentator on France Inter, the comedian has notably distinguished himself through his hostile statements towards the National Rally. In January, he stated on air that the media had been "too lenient with the far right" and urged France to adopt Belgium's "cordon sanitaire," which notably limits the airtime given to certain parties classified as far-right. These stances go far beyond mere humor and fuel criticism of the public broadcasting service's political line.

This choice risks reigniting the debate on the neutrality of France Inter.

Merwane Benlazar had already sparked heated controversy after the rediscovery of old messages posted on social media. Some were interpreted as sympathetic to Salafist references, while one old tweet read: "I don't feel French, that's for sure." France Inter, however, fully stands by its choice: its director, Céline Pigalle, presents him as "one of the very best comedians of his generation" and explains that she wanted to "adopt the codes of the times."

With a presidential election just months away that promises to be particularly tense, the choice to give additional exposure on a publicly funded radio station to a comedian displaying such strong positions against the National Rally should therefore fuel the debate on pluralism in public broadcasting once again.