The Quebec Press Council has rejected a complaint by Quebec Solidaire (QS) MP Haroun Bouazzi. The latter accused the columnist of Montreal Journal Joseph Facal of having spread inaccurate and incomplete information, in addition to having demonstrated “sensationalism”, in one of the texts where he suggests in particular that the left-wing party could be infiltrated by Islamists.
In his column “Les courteous shortcuts d’Haroun Bouazzi”, published in the newspapers of Québecor in April 2023, Joseph Facal strongly criticizes the position of the QS MP on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The MP for Maurice-Richard had just shared a video in which he described the situation in Israel and Palestine as apartheid, a term that the former PQ minister disputes in the context of the conflict in the Middle East.
Further in his text, he mentions certain ambiguities in the positions taken by QS and its MP on radical Islam and anti-Semitism. While he acknowledges that Haroun Bouazzi publicly condemned the speech of two controversial imams in 2015, the columnist nevertheless criticizes him for having opposed, in the name of the “rule of law”, the cancellation of an event to which the two religious leaders were invited. Joseph Facal concludes by writing: “I asked the other day if QS was not completely infiltrated by Islamists. I think I have my answer.”
Driss El Rhaib, Haroun Bouazzi’s political attaché who represented the MP during the complaint process, accused Joseph Facal of promoting conspiracy theories and inaccuracies, “the proliferation of which is already very damaging to public debate and public safety.”
“Constructing or consolidating the figure of the infiltrated Islamist is particularly reprehensible, because it is based on methods similar to those used by anti-Semitic movements throughout history to create the image of a ‘deceitful Jew’,” he added.
Freedom of expression
According to Driss El Rhaib, Joseph Facal lacked ethics and journalistic rigor by claiming that QS was infiltrated by Islamists without supporting such serious assertions with facts. “Given the title of the article which expressly names the complainant [Haroun Bouazzi] and given the consonance of the name and the origins of the latter, a reasonable person can understand by reading the column that the complainant is one of the infiltrated Islamists that the columnist speaks of. The columnist’s general conclusion is therefore not only inaccurate and unfounded, it is slanderous and insulting,” argued the political attaché of the Solidarity MP.
After hearing both parties, the Press Council ruled that the question asked by Joseph Facal at the end of his column falls under freedom of expression and therefore does not violate journalistic ethics.
“Mr. Facal questions himself (“I asked the other day”) and puts forward a hypothesis (“I think I have my answer”), which does not exceed the limits of opinion journalism. If, on the contrary, he categorically stated that “QS is infiltrated by Islamists”, he would have a duty to support such an assertion with verifiable facts, but this is not the case here,” we can read in the Press Council’s judgment.
Haroun Bouazzi had other complaints about the column, including the choice of words. They were all dismissed or deemed inadmissible. The Press Council issued its decision last May, but it was made public on Tuesday, along with seven other decisions.
JK Rowling and Transphobia
In six of them, the Council ruled in favour of the journalists targeted by the complaints. However, the Council upheld a complaint against the digital media 24 hoursowned by Quebecor, for having described as “transphobic” one of the statements made by the writer JK Rowling last October.
The author of the saga Harry Potter has taken a number of controversial positions on transgender identity in recent years, and several people have not hesitated to label her as transphobic. However, the Press Council ruled that it was not up to a journalist to appropriate this term in an article that is intended to be impartial.
“By calling JK Rowling’s comments “transphobic”, the journalist is taking a stand here. She could certainly have cited people who accuse the other[rice] of transphobia. Journalistic impartiality requires that one not take sides oneself in a controversial subject. If the journalist had attributed the qualifier “transphobic” to a source, she would have avoided taking sides herself,” it was ruled.
Please note that the decisions of the Press Council, which is a court of honour, are not binding. Unlike other major media outlets, Quebecor does not take part in the process. However, the Council handles complaints from the public concerning the group’s media outlets.