This affair which divided La France insoumise illustrates the role of Sophia Chikirou behind the scenes to impose the line of Jean-Luc Mélenchon. In this extract from “Additional investigation”, here is how she orchestrated the defense of Adrien Quatennens, the deputy from the North (LFI) convicted of domestic violence.
The Quatennens affair begins in September 2022, when Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s heir apparent is accused of physical violence by his partner. Adrien Quatennens, for his part, evokes “disputes”recognize “a slap in the face, in a context of separation, extreme tension and mutual aggression.” On Twitter (renamed[s]has confidence and [s]we affection”; Sophia Chikirou evokes a “political leader whom we admire for his honesty and self-sacrifice”. In the ranks of La France insoumise, these tweets are not unanimous. Some denounce a very offensive strategy at the head of the movement, totally out of step with the feminist values it advocates.
Elements of language on the day of the trial
To save soldier Quatennens, on the day of his trial, Sophia Chikirou even provides language elements on the Telegram loops of the LFI parliamentary group. “Additional investigation” obtained these internal messages: “Adrien has not committed repeated violence, and he is only being judged for a slap”; “He is not a violent man, but a man caught in a difficult divorce”; “He must be able to come back, because there needs to be a graduation in the sanctions.” By minimizing the seriousness of the facts, they are preparing the return of the Northern deputy to the Assembly, which will be effective two months later.
A shocking interview the day after the conviction
Twenty-four hours after his four-month suspended prison sentence, Adrien Quatennens speaks on BFM TV. According to information from “Complément d’investigation”, this shocking interview was orchestrated by Sophia Chikirou in person. And this while the LFI group had just decided to exclude it for four months, specifies a deputy from La France insoumise (he wishes to remain anonymous) who cannot digest this “great disloyalty” on the part of the communicator. He thinks that “if the group had known that Quatennens was preparing to go to BFM to defend this line, it would have taken much more”.
Facing Bruce Toussaint, the former spokesperson for La France insoumise goes so far as to pose as a victim, claiming that his wife threatened him, “if the divorce is not amicable and all [s]the conditions”, of “to explode [s]his political career. Some LFI deputies see behind this counterattack the writing of Sophia Chikirou, but none wanted to speak about it publicly.
“Adrien’s interview at BFM was a catastrophic choice. There was neither temperance nor moderation. And that’s pure Sophia.”
“It’s a real anti-feminist teaching manual played out for an hour on TV. And it was Sophia who gave these elements of language to Quatennens. It’s pitiful.”
Two LFI deputiesto “Further investigation”
Contacted, the boss of BFM TV, Marc-Olivier Fogiel, confirmed the presence of Sophia Chikirou at a meeting with the channel’s managers to prepare for this interview. For his part, Adrien Quatennens, through his lawyer, explains that he himself requested her to “his know-how, taking into account his professional experience in crisis communication”. The communicator did not wish to respond to “Further investigation”.
Extract from “Sophia Chikirou, the queen of spades by Jean-Luc Mélenchon”, a document to be seen in “Additional investigation” on October 5, 2023.
> Replays of France Télévisions news magazines are available on the Franceinfo website and its mobile application (iOS & Android), section “Magazines“.