the rapporteur of the Council of State recommends maintaining the record fine against C8

Words that don’t get through. The public rapporteur of the Council of State recommended, Friday May 24, to maintain the record fine of 3.5 million euros inflicted in 2023 by Arcom on C8, after Cyril Hanouna’s insults to LFI deputy Louis Boyard , according to its conclusions consulted by AFP. “Asshole”, “shame”, “you’re a piece of shit”... “Contrary to what is claimed” by the Canal+ group channel, it does not “there is little doubt that the kind qualifiers addressed” live by the presenter of “Touche pas à mon poste” to the elected official in November 2022 “constitute many insults”justifies the rapporteur in particular.

Guest of “TPMP” in November 2022, the former columnist of the show who became a deputy then triggered the anger of Cyril Hanouna by pointing the finger at the “five richest people” of France who, according to him, “impoverish Africa”citing billionaire Vincent Bolloré, shareholder of companies in Africa and owner of the Canal+ group.

Seized on this sequence of around ten minutes, concluded by the departure of Louis Boyard to the boos of the public, Arcom sanctioned C8 in February 2023 with a record fine of 3.5 million euros. The audiovisual regulator had at the same time put the channel on notice to respect its obligations in terms of honesty and independence of information.

Friday, the public rapporteur recommended the rejection of the two appeals filed before the Council of State by C8 against these two measures. In addition to the proven nature of “insults” spoken by Cyril Hanouna, “it is quite obvious that the host prevented his guest from criticizing the group’s main shareholder”notes the magistrate.