Red armchair on a black background. Arms outstretched on the armrests, Eric Zemmour has a smile on his face. The far-right polemicist, headliner of CNews, columnist at Figaro for several years and bestselling author, is on familiar ground. This June 6, he is preparing to respond to questions from Livre noir, a media that aims to be “the great fear of the well-meaning”, with the help of long video interviews. Black Book was launched a few months ago on social networks by Erik Tegnér, a young man expelled from the Republicans in 2019 for having advocated the union of the rights. Organizer of the “Convention of the Right” in September of the same year, he was a student of Issep, the institute launched in Lyon by Marion Maréchal, who also granted an interview to the young media.
Eric Zemmour’s interview is conducted by a certain François de Voyer, reveals Release. The man was a legislative candidate in 2017 in Aisne under the banner of the National Front. He is close to Marion Maréchal, reports Opinion. “Thank you for granting us this exclusive interview since it has been several years since you gave this type of interview”welcomes the interviewer. “It is the least we can say”rejoices in turn Eric Zemmour.
From this river interview of an hour and a half, the media will retain one thing: the confidences of the polemicist on his political ambitions. “Maybe we have to take action”he slips, ensuring reflect “Following, to the possible measures that we could take from my diagnosis”. “The following” comes quickly. In less than a year, the French are called to the polls for the queen election: the presidential one. After Eric Zemmour the polemicist, condemned several times, in particular for incitement to hatred after remarks on Muslims, will we see Eric Zemmour the candidate?
In any case, his publishing house is convinced of this. On June 29, the president of Albin Michel, Gilles Haéri, told AFP that he had “a very frank exchange” with Eric Zemmour, who would have told him of his intention to be a presidential candidate. Gold, “the ideological struggle” of the destroyer of multiculturalism does not correspond to the editorial line of Albin Michel, insists its president. Eric Zemmour immediately denied having had this interview. He will nevertheless have to look for another publisher for his next book scheduled for the start of the school year.
This “very frank exchange” with @AlbinMichel is also very imaginary. https://t.co/4HTsPMTGV8
— Eric Zemmour (@ZemmourEric) June 30, 2021
If he has not officially declared his candidacy for the presidency, others dream of it and work to have everything ready on D-Day. Not just behind the scenes. On social networks or in the street, the pro-Zemmour have made it their mission to boost the desirability index of their champion. In terms of visibility, it is rather successful.
Monday, June 28, everywhere in France, passers-by came across posters with the unambiguous slogan: “Zemmour president”. The operation was carried out by young fans of the editorialist who came together in an informal collective: Generation Z. They claim to have posted 10,000 of them in 86 departments. What to attract the attention of the media. “They do marketing and tell you what you want to hear. That’s 116 posters per department, that’s shit!” laughs Arnaud Stephan, ex-collaborator of Marion Maréchal.
The town of Rambouillet covered by @ZemmourEric ! ⤵️
And you, what are you waiting for to join us? #TomorrowWithZemmour #Zemmour2022 pic.twitter.com/r7bD7VR2q1
— Generation Z (@GenerationZ_off) June 29, 2021
At Generation Z, on the contrary, we are proud of this publicity stunt, hoping that the great chef liked it. “We have no contact with him, but it is important that the networks are already structured”, explains Stanislas Rigault. This young 22-year-old Catholic activist, son of a soldier and founder of a monthly baptized free student, is one of the leaders of this organization which was first born on the Discord chat application. “Our role is to support him for the presidential election to be operational if he is a candidate”he says.
“He arouses real interest, there is an undeniable Zemmour effect.”
Stanislas Rigault, head of Generation Zat franceinfo
The young man assures us that the members of this network have a very varied profile: members of the right, of the National Rally, of UNI (the right-wing student union), but also abstainers and those disappointed in politics. The latter, who also meet during “Z aperitifs”, during which you have a drink while watching Zemmour on CNews, plan to structure themselves this summer. In the meantime, the poster collages must continue.
In parallel with this action on the ground, a hashtag explodes on Twitter: #DemainAvecZemmour. Between Sunday June 27 and Tuesday June 29, more than 2,000 tweets spread the keyword, some of which include photos and videos of the posters stuck on the electoral panels installed for the regional elections. Among the Twitter accounts that push this hashtag emerges that of a certain Samuel Lafont. Parliamentary Assistant to Senator LR des French nationals living abroad Joëlle Garriaud-Maylam, this influential internet user became known for her anti-marriage stance and her commitment to François Fillon. “What is happening is unprecedented.he enthuses. I haven’t seen such enthusiasm since Sarkozy in 2007.”
Unprecedented mobilization for #Zemmour.#TomorrowWithZemmour https://t.co/UUWLlcIVgX
—Samuel Lafont (@Samuel_Lafont) June 29, 2021
This former UNI executive talks about “thousands of French people who are mobilized”, “of a very powerful self-organization that starts from below”. In fact, of the 2,000 tweets mentioning the hashtag #DemainAvecZemmour, half are from around twenty accounts. The most productive have often been created very recently, in May or June, and only publish messages about Eric Zemmour. The Generation Z national account has its regional versions (Generation Z New-Aquitaine, Generation Z Hauts-de-France), all of which are less than three months old. And there are also thematic accounts: Women with Zemmour, Blues with Zemmour, Hunters with Zemmour, high school students with Zemmour…
Samuel Lafont is in contact with the young people of Generation Z, but refuses to say more. Just as he exchanges with the members of the association Les amis d’Eric Zemmour and that of financing of the party of Eric Zemmour. This last was approved on June 30 by the National Commission for Campaign Accounts and Political Funding.
The funding association was founded by two employees of elected LR, while Les amis d’Eric Zemmour is chaired by a business manager, François Miramont, ex-centrist and now a member of Debout la France, the movement of Nicolas Dupont-Aignan. Refusing to speak, the entrepreneur refers to the association’s spokesperson, Antoine Diers. Head of the UMP list for the municipal elections in Dunkirk in 2014, he is now chief of staff at the town hall of Plessis-Robinson (Hauts-de-Seine) and still a member of LR. The latter, who knows Eric Zemmour, explains “to push him with others to be a candidate”. On June 18, he organized a first field trip in the North, where we notably saw Eric Zemmour speak, in Lille, in front of the birthplace of Charles de Gaulle.
Very happy to have welcomed Éric #Zemmour today in the north. At the beginning of the morning we paid homage to General de Gaulle, at the birthplace. Faced with perils, the French have always stood up. #GenerationZemmour #Z0ZZ #18june pic.twitter.com/kDPcX9t8Di
— Antoine Diers (@AntoineDiers) June 18, 2021
It is also his association that financed Generation Z’s bonding operations. “We collected a few voluntary donations from French people and we sent the posters by parcel to the four corners of the country”, he says. An operation for less than 10,000 euros, according to him. Antoine Diers has also made it his mission to convince LR elected officials to join Eric Zemmour. “French right-wingers are waiting for clear messages on immigration, security, identity and our party will once again tear itself apart in the quest for a natural candidate”he thinks he knows. ‘”I make a lot of calls and it hangs quite well”he said.
The #Regional having now passed, the time has come to build victory in 2022, by @the Republicans and its high quality elected officials, with the determination and the courage to@ZemmourEricin the sole interest of France, the French men and women. pic.twitter.com/bJe6s6jsDF
— Antoine Diers (@AntoineDiers) June 27, 2021
In reality, weight supports are currently rare and rather timid. The LR parliamentarians Etienne Blanc and Julien Aubert did call, at the beginning of June, for Eric Zemmour to participate in a right-wing primary, but today they are much more cautious. “I indicated a few weeks ago that a large number of our LR voters and many activists share many of his analyses. For the rest, I am like everyone else: I am waiting to know what he will do. “, writes Etienne Blanc, senator of the Rhône. As for Julien Aubert, he makes a point of specifying that he wishes “a semi-closed primary to people outside LR who bite on his electorate”. Which includes both Xavier Bertrand and Eric Zemmour.
A certain fringe of the far right pushes the Zemmour candidacy more clearly. Direction the south of France. Stop: Orange, city owned by Jacques Bompard. Ex-National Front, at the head of the Southern League, very established in the north of Vaucluse, he clearly and publicly supports Eric Zemmour.
This morning I saw this in #Orange on my way to the town hall, and I was told that there would not be only at home… If this is true, here is a day after the election that sings #Zemmour2022 pic.twitter.com/FDaMZ7keq1
— Jacques Bompard (@JacquesBompard) June 28, 2021
The 78-year-old elected official and his networks are also behind a petition “I sign for Zemmour”, according to an in-depth investigation by Release. Contacted by franceinfo, the former frontist, hilarious, confirms that he is behind this petition, but refuses to speak further. “He says what I think, he’s the only one”, he just lets go.
“I’m being asked to shut up, I can’t say more.”
Jacques Bompard, Mayor of Orangeat franceinfo
To weigh in the campaign, but especially to go in search of 500 signatures of mayors and elected officials to be able to present themselves, we will have to find other strong supporters. Will Eric Zemmour take the risk of leaving his comfortable chair at CNews to embark on this uncertain campaign? According to our interlocutors, the man has every chance of declaring himself. “It is excessively pushed, says Arnaud Stephan. When you are told that you walk on water and that if you don’t close the windows you can fly away, well you believe it.”
According to an Ifop poll for Point, published in mid-June, the polemicist is credited with 5.5% of the voting intentions in the first round. Insufficient to hope for anything, but enough to steal votes from others. And contrary to popular belief, Eric Zemmour would not take votes at the RN, but rather on the right and at LR. Not enough to worry the party of Christian Jacob, assures Julien Aubert. “He speaks to a particular niche of people, just because he’s being watched on CNews doesn’t mean we’re going to vote for him.”