2023-10-10 19:06:08
Terrorist attacks, notable news items, wars, etc. Quite logically, such events provoke reactions, a lot of reactions, particularly on social networks. And the Hamas attack on Israel on Saturday was no exception to the rule. In the hours following the Palestinian incursion, a (now incalculable) number of French political figures published on “X”, directly, their feeling, their condemnation, their opinion, to anyone who will listen. A haste which sometimes creates controversy, voluntarily or not, as was the case with Jean-Luc Mélenchon. But why such a rush to declare?
“Total condemnation of the Hamas attack,” wrote Eva Sas, spokesperson for the environmentalists in the Assembly. “Profound condemnation of the attack by the terrorist organization Hamas against Israel! », Added the RN deputy for Oise, Philippe Ballard. “All my solidarity with the victims and their families,” added Carole Delga, president of the Occitanie region. Party leaders, mayors, senators, municipal councilors, etc., almost all French elected officials have tweeted. Champion in the discipline, Nupes MP Sandrine Rousseau was among the first to react. “Israel is under an intolerable attack. Civilians are being targeted, this is unacceptable,” she wrote on Saturday morning. “I don’t do it on every subject. There, there was such a notion of immediate emotion that it pushes us to immediately pose something that allows for a reading,” she explains to 20 Minutes.
Sandrine Rousseau deplores an “injunction” to react
For Alexandre Eyries, teacher-researcher in information and communication sciences at the Catholic University of the West, heat is the enemy of political communication: “This race for immediacy on digital is ultimately contrary to the principle of political communication, which must take place over a long time, in reflection. » A point of view shared by Paul Christophe, Horizons du Nord MP. “This method of immediate communication prevents us from taking a step back, and this can lead to saying stupid things,” he laments, in reference to the controversy into which LFI is embroiled.
The Northern MP did not react to the attack on Israel by Hamas: “I have a rule of only commenting on subjects that I understand, such as nuclear power, with useful tweets. » Paul Christophe also believes that silence is sometimes golden: “if certain things call for condemnation, saying nothing does not imply condoning. »
Sandrine Rousseau nevertheless deplores an “injunction” to react. “I have already been criticized for waiting several hours before responding to an event,” she says. A point of view shared by our expert, Alexandre Eyries: “many feel obliged to communicate so as not to seem disconnected from reality. Something must be said, even if it is inaccurate, because silence is always guilty. »
Being perceived as “the one who always seems to be on the go, on the alert”
React, yes, but why rush? Sandrine Rousseau sees the possibility of “putting political speech in a current form”. Paul Christophe, for his part, is more ironic about “a need to exist for certain elected officials”. In any case, this is part of a “communication strategy”, says the teacher-researcher. “There is a notion of personal enhancement in winning the horse race of the person who makes the first well-felt statement,” he continues. The price at the end? Make people talk about themselves, with the visibility bonus of the first tweet posted. Winning the image war too, by being perceived as “the one who always seems to be on the go, on the alert,” adds Alexandre Eyries.
Should we conclude that this race for declaration undermines its sincerity? “I don’t think so,” insists the expert. If communicating is a necessary step, this does not necessarily call into question the sincerity of the words.” “There are obviously different scenarios,” recognizes the Horizons du Nord MP. “When I do it, it’s really to put a line in the debate,” assures Sandrine Rousseau. The MP, who claims to have “slowed down tweets a lot”, also points out the limits of the social network. On Monday, she denounced the comments of Yoav Gallant, Israeli Defense Minister, who described the Palestinians as “human animals”. “Dehumanizing people face to face portends abuses,” she argues. It seemed to me important to point this out, especially these remarks did not arouse much indignation among the political class. »
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