Invited on Wednesday to BFMTV following his conviction in the aftermath of the violence that erupted after PSG's victory, Hugues was presented as simply a mathematics student and PSG supporter. He adopted a victim mentality, accusing the police of gratuitous violence and racism. This Thursday, Apolline de Malherbe acknowledged BFMTV's blunder and revisited his activist background, stating that he had denied his involvement despite several questions before and during the interview.
A guest presented as a student was convicted after the disturbances.
Hugues had been a guest on the BFMTV set After appearing in court for events that occurred the night after PSG's victory, according to Apolline de Malherbe, the channel's team attended his trial before inviting him to answer questions on the morning show. “On Tuesday, our team attended his trial and offered him, as they did other convicts, the opportunity to answer our questions. And so he came to our studio, right here, yesterday morning.”"The journalist explained. She reminded everyone that the young man was among those arrested after the incidents:" "He is therefore one of the faces of those individuals arrested in connection with PSG's victory."
The presenter also emphasized the legal aspects of the case: "He was indeed arrested in the street that night, the night following PSG's victory. He was indeed convicted. He denies targeting the police, but he admitted to us yesterday that he did indeed have a mortar."
"The magistrates identified him as a mathematics student."
During his first appearance on air, Hugues was presented as a mathematics student under contract with the Ministry of Health. Apolline de Malherbe explained that this presentation corresponded to the information provided during his court appearance. "The information we had yesterday was what the magistrates provided. During his court appearance, the magistrates described him as a mathematics student under contract with the Ministry of Health.", she said.
The journalist, however, stated that she had identified, behind her guest's remarks, the possibility of a militant commitment: "When he spoke yesterday, we sensed a possible activism behind his words. And I actually asked him about it several times."
"But Hugues, you're an activist."
Apolline de Malherbe claims to have directly questioned Hugues about his commitments, without receiving a positive response: “I said to him: ‘But Hugues, you’re an activist.’ To which he replied: ‘No, no, not at all.’ I repeated the question: ‘No, no, not at all.’ I said to him: ‘But then perhaps you’re a member of an association.’ ‘No, no, not at all.’”
The presenter therefore believes she asked the necessary questions during the interview: "So, obviously, there were questions that arose, and I was probably right to ask them."
A history of activism that was ignored on the day of the interview
This Thursday morning, Apolline de Malherbe presented several details on air regarding Hugues' commitments: "Hugues is close to the RED collective, close to Yassine Benyettou, a former LFI candidate, who speaks of Hugues, when he posts photos of him on social media, as if he were family.", she said.
She also stated that the young man had recently participated in the blockade of a high school in Bondy and that he had spoken about it on a program on the online media outlet Paroles d'honneur. The journalist added that he had participated "at least one conference with Raphaël Arnault, the founder of La Jeune Garde, and a member of parliament today." These points were not brought up during the first interview.
"I wish Hugues had had the honesty to stand by his commitments."
Despite this clarification, Apolline de Malherbe defended Hugues' presence on the BFMTV set. She argued that his testimony provided a better understanding of the profiles of those arrested after the incidents. “In any case, I thank Hugues for agreeing to come and testify in this way because it is particularly useful in our work as journalists to see the faces of these 890 people who were arrested. Why were they there? What is their profile?” The presenter concluded by criticizing her guest for not acknowledging his commitments despite her questions: "I simply wish that Hugues had had the honesty to stand by his commitments after the persistent questions I asked him."
These remarks fail to address a fundamental question: why didn't the BFMTV newsroom verify the identity and background of their guest before inviting him onto their show? This is basic professionalism for any journalist who claims to be an expert.
