France Télévisions has removed the replay of the program " La Grande Librairie," broadcast on Wednesday, September 9th on France 5, from its platform. Invited by Augustin Trapenard to present her first book, " Viser juste" (Aiming Fair), Adèle Haenel used the segment at the end of the show to discuss sexual violence before taking a stance on the war in Gaza. On camera, she notably accused the State of Israel of committing genocide and called for "sanctions against Israel" and the "liberation of Palestine." The public broadcasting group explained that it made this decision due to the lack of opposing viewpoints during her remarks.
A live carte blanche broadcast on France 5
Adèle Haenel was one of the guests on La Grande Librairie , hosted by Augustin Trapenard. The September 9th episode also featured Philippe Jaenada, Ananda Devi and Lilia Hassaine, as well as Virginie Despentes, Tania de Montaigne, Laurent Binet, Philippe Claudel and Hervé Le Tellier.
Adèle Haenel, who came to present her book "Viser juste ," was given "Droit dans les yeux" (Straight in the Eyes) at the end of the show, a segment traditionally given free rein to a guest. Augustin Trapenard presented it as a personal and uninhibited expression.
The former actress initially focused her speech on the difficulty of speaking out after experiencing sexual violence. She then drew a parallel with what she considers a silence surrounding the situation of the Palestinians : “The State of Israel is committing genocide in Palestine. And France is complicit. Do not accept the unacceptable. So sanction Israel and liberate Palestine.” This speech was broadcast live on France 5 before quickly circulating on social media.
France Télévisions is removing replay
A few hours later, the replay of the September 9th broadcast disappeared from France.tv . The video of Adèle Haenel's carte blanche also became inaccessible on the public broadcaster's platform.
France Télévisions confirmed that it removed the segment after reviewing it. The group cited its obligations regarding media pluralism and considered that Adèle Haenel's statements were not sufficiently countered.
France Télévisions explains that the position expressed by the author could not be "counterbalanced by several points of view, which is what our specifications require".
The group stated that it had therefore decided, "as a precautionary measure ," to remove the video from publication. This decision concerns a program that had nevertheless been broadcast in its entirety and live on air.
Adèle Haenel denounces France Télévisions' decision
Adèle Haenel reacted after the program's disappearance. In a video posted on Instagram , she explained that she expected her carte blanche to disappear from the platform and had taken steps to keep a recording.
"We suspected that France 5 would remove the clip, but they didn't stop there, they completely removed the entire program ," she said.
She claims to have deliberately brought together two subjects during her speech: the silence and denial surrounding gender-based and sexual violence and those which, according to her, surround the situation in Gaza.
Adèle Haenel believes that France Télévisions' decision precisely reinforces the point she wanted to make on air: "What's quite crazy is that they perfectly demonstrate the relevance of the remarks, which consisted of saying that there are certain words, certain realities, that everyone knows and that absolutely must not be said."
A removal that provokes political reactions
The removal of the replay service quickly sparked reactions. Several left-wing political figures criticized the public broadcaster's decision. The first secretary of the Socialist Party, Olivier Faure, notably declared: "In the absence of justification, this removal is a disgrace."
Communist Senator Ian Brossat, MP Aymeric Caron, and La France Insoumise coordinator Manuel Bompard also denounced the removal of the article. Conversely, Muriel Ouaknine-Melki, president of the European Jewish Organization, who had announced she had contacted Arcom, welcomed the withdrawal, considering the lack of opposing viewpoints problematic.
The stances taken on the war in Gaza and the coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the French media continue to generate significant tension. In recent months, several controversies have already surrounded French broadcasting and its editorial obligations , while the war in Gaza and its political and diplomatic consequences remain at the forefront of current events.
The very principle of carte blanche is at the heart of the controversy.
France Télévisions' explanation finally raises a question: how does "Droit dans les yeux" work? This segment of La Grande Librairie is specifically designed as a carte blanche given to a personality, who speaks alone in front of the camera.
On September 9th, Augustin Trapenard had, in fact, reiterated the free-flowing nature of this exercise before handing the microphone to Adèle Haenel. The problem raised after the broadcast is therefore not the presence of a debate that was interrupted, but rather the lack of opposing viewpoints within a format that relies precisely on individual expression.
Two days after the live broadcast, one thing is certain: viewers can no longer watch the September 9th program on France.tv under normal conditions. But Adèle Haenel's statement continues to circulate widely on social media.
