Convicted after the violence that followed PSG's victory, Hugues B. was presented on BFMTV as a mathematics student and a supporter of the Parisian club. His far-left activism was not specified. A week earlier, RMC had already presented Ilan Gabet as simply a student without mentioning his activism.
A student and PSG supporter presented on air
Hugues B. was invited to the BFMTV studio after receiving a four-month suspended prison sentence for participating in a group with the intent to commit violence, following the unrest that erupted after Paris Saint-Germain's victory. On air, he was presented as a mathematics student and a PSG supporter. He admitted to using a mortar, which he described as a "firework," while maintaining that his intention was to celebrate his club's victory.
The young man then accused police officers of violence during his arrest. He also claimed to have been the victim of racist insults and stated that several people he encountered in custody or at the courthouse bore marks of having been beaten.
A victimhood and militant discourse
During the interview, Hugues B. did not limit himself to recounting his arrest or conviction. He developed a general argument against police practices, denouncing systematic violence, racist behavior, and beatings. Throughout the interview, Apolline de Malherbe repeatedly pointed out to him that he was making a political statement and that his remarks went beyond his personal case. Despite these remarks, the guest's activist background was not specified in his introduction.
A public activist commitment to the far left
Hugues B. is not just a mathematics student and a PSG supporter. He appears in several activist pieces linked to the far left and anti-fascist networks. He has notably been presented as close to Raphaël Arnault, a member of parliament for La France Insoumise and co-founder of the Jeune Garde. He has also contributed to media content. Words of Honor and publicly expressed his support for Génération EDR, a collective in which La Jeune Garde participated. These elements suggest a public political commitment. They were never mentioned by BFMTV during the interview.
A conviction and the use of mortar were clearly established.
Hugues B. was not simply a passerby stopped by chance in the middle of the celebrations. He had just been convicted and admitted to using a mortar during the evening. He denied any intention of targeting law enforcement and claimed that his behavior was "good-natured"His conviction, however, was for participating in a group with the intent to commit violence. BFMTV mentioned this conviction on air, but did not discuss the activist involvement of its guest, even though he was making serious accusations against the police.
The previous Ilan Gabet on RMC
This blunder by BFMTV follows another. The previous week, in the program Estelle Noon On RMC, Ilan Gabet was presented as a student. His public political engagement, his support for Jean-Luc Mélenchon, and his ties to La France Insoumise were not specified. In both cases, activists committed to the radical left were presented primarily as simple students, without their political background being clearly explained to viewers. This, however, completely changes the analysis of their statements. Lack of professionalism or deliberate omission? In either case, it's a damning blunder for a news channel that claims to provide information, not opinion.
