Convicted in the first instance and fined €1.000 for comments made on air in April 2024 about Travellers, Barbara Lefebvre was temporarily taken off the air at RMC. However, management announced her return in The Big Mouths As early as May, a decision that sparked strong protest within the radio station.
A short suspension before a planned reappearance
In a statement, RMC announced that Barbara Lefebvre was suspended from broadcasting for just a few days. The station also confirmed that the commentator, who has decided to appeal her conviction, would return to the airwaves. "in May".
This decision follows the judgment handed down on April 15 by the Paris court. Barbara Lefebvre was initially fined 1.000 euros for comments made on RMC in April 2024 concerning Travellers.
The RMC journalists' union is taking a stand
The announcement of this return provoked an immediate reaction from the RMC Journalists' Association. In a statement published on X, the union asserts that "Racism still has no place in public debate."
The text continues: "We, the RMC journalists' union, learned with dismay that Barbara Lefebvre, convicted in the first instance by the Paris court on April 15 for racial insults, will return to RMC's airwaves 'in May'. This reinstatement seems unacceptable to us given the seriousness of the charges against Barbara Lefebvre for comments made on our station."
The SDJ also reiterates its position expressed in a previous press release: “As we wrote in our previous statement, ‘if management decides to reinstate Barbara Lefebvre despite this conviction, it is because they see no problem with hateful remarks being made on air by employees.’”
A reintegration deemed incompatible with a calm debate
The union also insists on the editorial consequences of such a return to the airwaves. “We acknowledge that Barbara Lefebvre is appealing this court decision. However, keeping this commentator on air while awaiting the appeal trial cannot guarantee a calm environment for the debates that take place daily on the show Les Grandes Gueules.”, the SDJ also wrote.
In the rest of her statement, she defends the freedom of debate while setting clear limits: “The exchange of ideas is an essential principle of our radio station, but this exchange of ideas must take place within the framework of the Republic, and with respect for individuals. The program Les Grandes Gueules is an integral part of RMC, but finds itself weakened by a columnist who spreads hate speech.”
RMC management accused of contradiction
The Society of Journalists also believes that the position displayed by management is not consistent with the measure adopted. "Management affirms its commitment to the fight against all forms of discrimination and condemns in the strongest possible terms any remarks of this nature." Such a stance is incompatible with a fifteen-day suspension for a columnist convicted in the first instance., she says.
In this context, the union reiterates its demand and "reiterates its call to management to end Barbara Lefebvre's collaboration with our station, or to suspend it until a final judgment is reached.".
After the SDJ, the CGT had already demanded its removal from the airwaves
The protests did not begin with the announcement of her return in May. The previous week, following the columnist's conviction, the CGT RMC BFM – CMA Media union had already demanded... "Its removal from the airwaves."
The union then justified its position in these terms: "Following his conviction for racial insult, it is time for RMC BFM management to take responsibility. Racist remarks and disinformation have no place on the airwaves."
