“The reactions to our investigations are increasingly brutal,” said the editor of “Street Press”

Intimidation in demonstrations, ban on covering events, death threats … 35 companies of journalists, including those of franceinfo, alerted Thursday, November 18 to violence of all forms when it comes to covering the news of the far right. Members of the ultra-right joined the support teams for Éric Zemmour for the 2022 campaign. Mathieu Molard, journalist, editor-in-chief of Street Press, explains Thursday, November 18 on franceinfo that they see Eric Zemmour as someone who carries a certain number of their values ​​and their fight, in particular the theory of “remigration”. Himself threatened with death after an investigation into the support of members of the ultra-right for the polemicist published in Street Press, he feels “an increasingly tense climate”, “the reactions to our investigations are increasingly brutal”, he explains.

franceinfo: What kinds of threats have you received?

A few days ago, my photo appeared on a montage next to journalist Taha Bouhafs and politicians. They had literally stuck a target on my forehead.

“In the message which incited to kill, to shoot us, there was a link which directed towards a site where one could buy weapons.”

Mathieu Molard, editor-in-chief of “Street Press”

to franceinfo

It was on a Telegram channel, an encrypted messaging, in a group, a kind of forum, called “the villainous fachos”. It is a reference to the French who collaborated with the Nazi army. Unfortunately, they are anonymous. They’re hiding. So, we do not know by name who is behind these threats.

Do you have any idea what triggered these threats?

A fortnight ago, I signed an investigation which revealed that supporters of Eric Zemmour were training to shoot caricatures of Muslims, Jews and blacks in a forest in western France. We broadcast a video where we see them training, another video where we see the same men sticking posters of Eric Zemmour. This case received a little publicity. It was after this that I suffered a first wave of cyberstalking and threats, more than 1,000 messages in 24 hours. And then, these drawings, this very explicit assembly. They write that it is in solidarity with the Gallicane family, it is the name of the small group which partly joins the ranks of the supporters of Eric Zemmour and which trained in shooting in this forest of the west of France.

Has a milestone been crossed?

In any case, we feel that behind the candidacy of Eric Zemmour, all the most radical extreme right which, as recent events have shown, is getting started, is excited and motivated, is joining the ranks of his troops. and actively supports it. We also feel that the climate is more and more tense. The words we hear, the reactions to our investigations are increasingly brutal.

Thanks to Eric Zemmour, do they feel less marginalized?

They see Eric Zemmour as someone who carries a number of their values ​​and their struggle. You can read it when you go to the forums, the most radical sites. We see people who write: “I support Éric Zemmour, I support his campaign”, because he is the only one who defends this hazy theory of remigration, which is a kind of deportation of foreigners or people of immigrant origin. .

Do you need protection?

Fortunately, I don’t think I need protection. I hope I am not mistaken. Afterwards, very concretely this week, in my media, which is based in the Parisian suburbs, we brought in people to make quotes, to change the front door and put in an armored door. Unfortunately, our reality today at work. We alerted the justice system, we seized the prosecution, we had discussions with the city police and we are obliged to invest in order to protect ourselves physically from a possible intrusion.