Izïa Higelin will be present at the Francofolies de la Rochelle this Wednesday evening – Liberation

2023-07-12 10:31:05

The director of the music festival confirmed this Wednesday, July 12 that the artist who caused controversy for his tirade on Emmanuel Macron will perform well at the La Rochelle festival in the evening.

“Izïa is part of the Francofolies family, we love her, that’s why we invited her, it’s not in the turmoil that we abandon the people we love,” said this Wednesday, July 12 on franceinfo Gérard Pont, the director of the Printemps de Bourges and the Francofolies de La Rochelle which begins this Wednesday. The artist must perform there tonight alongside Shaka Ponk or even Mr.

A concert maintained despite the artist’s controversial performance, on July 6 in Beaulieu-sur-Mer (Alpes-Maritimes), where she imagined in front of her audience the lynching of the president in “giant human piñata”. Remarks which triggered the opening of an investigation by the Nice prosecutor’s office, for “public provocation to commit a crime or an offense”. In the process, the town hall of Marcq-en-Baroeul (North) decided on Monday July 10 to cancel the performance scheduled for Thursday July 13.

“Obviously, I was very shocked by these remarks and I support all our elected officials”, first nuanced Gérard Pont. But “Izïa explained herself. She says [dans un entretien au journal Ouest France] that her remarks were taken out of context and that she had no intention of inciting hatred and violence. And I believe her,” he said. For Gérard Pont, she is a “great artist” who, “like her father [le chanteur Jacques Higelin]sometimes goes into somewhat improbable improvisations”.

In 2009, the director of the festival had however canceled the arrival of the rapper Orelsan, after the controversy generated by the violent and sexist lyrics of his song. An “error”, recognizes Gérard Pont today, before specifying that he did not deprogram the singer for his words, but because of the disturbance to public order that the controversy could have generated: “It is a family festival, I didn’t want to have CRS on horseback. I deprogrammed for reasons of order, organization, and not at all artistic.