In front of the deputies, Vincent Bolloré, president of the Canal+ group, assumes his faith and rejects any “ideological project”

The businessman spoke at length on Wednesday before the parliamentary commission of inquiry into the allocation of TV frequencies.

A great speech for a boss who normally doesn’t say much publicly. Vincent Bolloré, who controls the Canal+ group, appeared on Wednesday March 13 before the deputies as boss “debonair”without “ideological project” nor interventionism, while hammering home his Catholic faith, particularly in matters of abortion.

Abortion is “something terrible” Or “two freedoms” se “collide” : “the freedom of people to decide for themselves” and that “children to live”said Vincent Bolloré before the parliamentary commission of inquiry into the allocation of TV frequencies.

He was questioned by the rapporteur Aurélien Saintoul (LFI), two weeks after an intense controversy on the subject of abortion provoked by a Catholic program from CNews, a channel which is in his fold. “Quite a few years ago, the woman I was with found out she was pregnant.” when she should not have, confided this claimed Catholic. “There isn’t a day that goes by when I don’t think about this life that I helped take away.”

“I have no ideological project”

During more than two hours of hearing under oathnt, the 71-year-old billionaire has repeatedly made reference to his faith, having been born “into a Catholic, Breton, rich and famous family”and became deeply “Christian Democrat”. “It’s not because I’m Christian that I can’t talk about other religions”he clarified, ensuring that he had “many Muslim friends”.

Despite its “beliefs”the one who no longer has an executive function within Vivendi, owner of the Canal+ group, assured not to intervene in the content of the channels and denied wanting to promote “an ideology” far-right, of which he is regularly accused. “I have no ideological project, I am very gentle and good-natured, not at all an Attila.” If he regularly calls Serge Nedjar, director of CNews, it is, he says, to congratulate him on the good audiences for the news channel, which is hot on the heels of number one BFMTV. Rodolphe Belmer, current CEO of TF1 and boss of Canal+ until 2015, had nevertheless mentioned interventions by Vincent Bolloré in the “contents”.