“Shut up”: Gérard Larcher’s tackle on Jean-Luc Mélenchon after his criticism of Ruth Elkrief

2023-12-06 10:26:24

The words chosen have the merit of being clear. Invited this Wednesday morning to the microphone of RTL, the President of the Senate Gérard Larcher invited Jean-Luc Mélenchon to “shut his mouth”, following the criticisms of Insoumis on LCI journalist Ruth Elkrief which provoked the controversy. “It’s irresponsible. Someone who has millions of subscribers on put himself outside the Republican arc.”

Jean-Luc Mélenchon has not yet reacted to this attack.

In a message published on X on December 3, the LFI leader described Ruth Elkrief as “manipulative”. “If we do not insult Muslims, this fanatic is indignant (…) Elkrief reduces all political life to his contempt for Muslims,” he also said. These remarks provoked numerous condemnations, both political and journalistic. “He puts a target on the back of Ms. Elkrief who has already had many threats as a journalist,” reacted the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin before announcing the placement under police protection of the journalist.

Ruth Elkrief. Manipulative. If we don’t insult Muslims, this fanatic is indignant. What a shame ! Well done @mbompard for the reply. Elkrief reduces all political life to his contempt for Muslims.

— Jean-Luc Mélenchon (@JLMelenchon) December 3, 2023

For her part, Ruth Elkrief said she “regretted” this controversy this Monday, during a televised intervention on LCI. She also thanked all the people who gave her their support, from “all political families” and “from all editorial lines”. “What is at stake concerns us all. It’s about defending the freedom of journalists to ask questions that displease,” she said in the same way. She also said she was hurt “as a woman journalist because people seemed to discredit my way of doing my job”.