“I will not be presenting the prize this year, neither I nor anyone from the city,” he said, after explaining that he was “very uncomfortable with the treatment of this war” by Gazan photojournalist Loay Ayyoub.
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The RN mayor of Perpignan (Pyrénées-Orientales), Louis Aliot, announced on Saturday August 31 that he will refuse this year to award the Visa d’or of the city of Perpignan Rémi Ochlik 2024 to the Gazan photojournalist Loay Ayyoub during the Visa pour l’image festival, which opened on Saturday, reports France Bleu Roussillon.
“I will not be presenting the award this year, neither I nor anyone from the city,” he said, after explaining “to be very uncomfortable with the treatment of this war.” Loay Ayyoub’s exhibition, awarded the Visa d’Or by the jury this year, traces the humanitarian crisis in Gaza for the American newspaper Washington PostFor five months, from October 2023 to February 2024, and his exile in Egypt, the Gazan photojournalist transcribed in photos the consequences of Israeli strikes on civilians.
“In many of his social media posts, Loay Ayyoub does not talk about Hamas but about the ‘Palestinian Resistance,’ including when they fire rockets at civilians,” justifies the RN mayor“We can criticize Israel, but there must be something in return and a balance in the message.” The mayor added that he would have preferred to reward “a journalist completely independent of Hamas.”
“I have total freedom over the editorial line of this festival and I would like to remind you that the city prize is awarded by a jury of international directors of photography,” answers festival director Jean-François Leroy. “They voted for Loay Ayyoub, that’s it. I don’t have to interpret Mr. Aliot’s decisions,” he finished.
