Vincent Bresson has chosen to infiltrate Generation Z, the youth movement that supports Éric Zemmour’s candidacy for the presidential election. In just over four months, the journalist has participated in collages, attended meetings, as well as rallies. He compiled what he experienced in a book titled At the heart of the Z.
From September to January, he was able to observe the digital strategy of the teams of the Reconquest candidate! According to him, they “at times try to twist reality”. He was able to ascertain the existence of“a phantom cell, which is not supposed to be public, which is called ‘Wikizedia’. It aims to, according to their terms, ‘zemmourise’ Wikipedia and especially the pages of Eric Zemmour and those around it”.
He was also able to attend a private conference during his infiltration, led by Samuel Lafont, the head of digital strategy for Eric Zemmour’s campaign. On this occasion, the activists were “encouraged to infiltrate Facebook groups that have nothing to do with Éric Zemmour’s campaign, such as Johnny Hallyday fans, and to put content favorable to Éric Zemmour without saying his militant affiliation”explains Vincent Bresson.
The journalist also says he was surprised at the ease with which he was able to infiltrate Generation Z: “I was never asked for my identity card. I never had to prove who I was, and yet I sometimes guarded the campaign HQ, night or day. I was there alone , and I had the keys to Eric Zemmour’s office. This shows a form of amateurism”believes Vincent Bresson.
He also recounts having attended discussions containing racist expressions, between activists or those close to the candidate: “nigger”, “Mamadou”. Another example, experienced during the evening of December 31, 2021 with Generation Z activists: “Two of them put on a Wehrmacht song and sang it with their hands on their hearts…” Last January, Vincent Bresson put an end to this immersion, gradually withdrawing from the Zemmourist movement.