It was worth kicking him out of CNews. With each passing day, Éric Zemmour gains airtime on the news channels, BFMTV in the lead. The debate which opposed him to Jean-Luc Mélenchon was only a pretext to invite him, promote him, comment on him, question his friends, his supporters. Story of a week in the Zemmourian principality.

The CSA's decision to count down Éric Zemmour's speaking time had a spectacular effect: his speaking time, that of his supporters and his far-right competitors were multiplied. With, as a highlight, the debate organized last Thursday by BFMTV with Jean-Luc Mélenchon. I mentioned the phenomenon in my previous post and, in this one, I hardly dwell on the proportions it takes on CNews (a channel entirely dedicated to the promotion of the fascistic "troublemaker") nor in Touche pas à my post (where a “Zemmour” section has become daily, as evidenced by a file to be published this Wednesday in Télérama). Again, I am more interested in the role of BMTV, a channel that one would not suspect of sharing the ideas of the extreme right – all its editorialists are smug macronolaters – but which turns out to be its best propagandist.

The name "Zemmour" is on the lips of all presenters, whoever their guests are. On September 12, Jean-Baptiste Boursier approached Caroline Fourest, who was pleased with the high quality of the debate: “The profile of Éric Zemmour is much more intellectual than that of Trump, we are in France fortunately. It does not matter that the “polemicist” is a falsifier of history with a discourse based on fantasized data who claims to plan a crime against humanity (“remigration”): he is an “intellectual”. In the same way that Renaud Camus is "much more intellectual" than Kim Jong-un.

Jean-Baptiste Boursier varies the approaches: “We are going to listen to Marine Le Pen on a theme that will be important in the coming weeks on the right. Extract: “In 2022, it will be a choice of civilisation. Well, that's also what Zemmour claims. Also, the presenter continues: “I come back to Éric Zemmour, I would like you to listen to it. »

The next hour, to challenge this leftist Caroline Fourest, Robert Ménard took his place opposite Jean-Baptiste Boursier. The opportunity to seek the reaction of the mayor of Béziers to the words of Zemmour, guest of honor of We are live the day before on France 2. “He was not kind to you, we will listen to him. “The guest reaffirms his unwavering friendship for the xenophobic masculinist and asserts: “Eric’s ideas, like Marine’s ideas, you often say it by quoting polls, are ideas that are in the majority. Mass immigration, the French are against. As the presenter objects that “immigration is not responsible for all evils”, Robert Ménard admits: “Of course not. But come to Béziers, immigration is the daily conversation of people. Who consent to converse with me. "It's a problem of cohabitation, of different ways of living, 70% of girls are veiled. A relentless statistic straight out of the very scientific Institute of Zemmourian Studies.

The next day, CNews announced that it was withdrawing Zemmour from its antenna, which earned the martyr of freedom of expression an exceptional interview lasting an hour and a half on Pascal Praud's set. Follows the broadcast of an official speech in TPMP, where Hanouna and his followers cry out for censorship. Fortunately, BFMTV is working to console Islamophobic fans by promoting the launch of its YouTube channel. “A new adventure”, licks Yves Calvi while Benjamin Duhamel feels sorry for the darling of Pascal Praud whining: “I have a lot of vagueness in my soul this morning. Zemmour would therefore have a soul. “We know how his resistance will be organized, continues Benjamin Duhamel. Not in the maquis but on YouTube. Here is Zemmour in digital FFI.

This same Monday, after the xenophobe relaunched the “controversy” at Ruquier over first names not from home, the channels hastened to raise it as a subject of debate. On RMC Story, the program Estelle midi asks: “Zemmour wants to ban the first name Mohamed: shocking? "" We must first protect the child, pleads Périco Légasse, food critic, LREM regional adviser and protector of abused children. If the parents give a first name with a political or religious connotation to show a hatred of France, that is a problem. “Illico, the channel publishes a tweet:” Périco Légasse understands (sic) the reasons which incite #Zemmour to ban the first name #Mohamed. Alas, nothing was said about the first name Karim, proof of the bias of RMC Story.

On LCI, Darius Rochebin also rushes to “the new Zemmour controversy”. "This controversy does not come out of nowhere," said Guillaume Roquette of Figaro. Indeed, it comes out of my television. “The problem pointed out by Zemmour is a problem faced by a large number of French people. “Who has never felt attacked by hearing the name “Rachid” launched as a challenge to the superiority of the heterosexual white man? “All of this echoes a very deep, legitimate concern about the desire of part of the Muslim population to impose their own way of life. “Renaud Pila, LCI editorialist, validates:” Elected officials say so. All that remains is to elect Zemmour to confirm it.

Two days later, the far-right virilist was received with honors on BFMTV by Jean-Jacques Bourdin, who devoted an exceptionally long time to his interview. As the guest, questioned about the death penalty, believes that it should not have been abolished, the news channel again brandishes a banner displayed throughout the day: “Zemmour in favor of the death penalty. “On CNews, Laurence Ferrari organizes a debate very logically entitled: “Should we relaunch the debate on the death penalty? »

A few days later, BFMTV takes care to restore the real truth in the face of Zemmour's fabrications. This is the “2022 fact-tested” section. In fact, these are… polls, constructions totally independent of reality. “Are there 70% to 80% of French people, as Éric Zemmour says, who say “we no longer live in France today” (sic)?, asks the presenter. — According to a study by Kantar, 40% of respondents said “we don’t really feel at home in France anymore,” reports a journalist. In another study by Ipsos, 62% of respondents think that today we no longer feel at home as before. So no, there are not 70% to 80% of French people who say we no longer live at home in France as Éric Zemmour asserts. Phew, I'm reassured. Long live fact-checking! Finally, there is only a large majority of respondents, sorry, "French" to validate the far-right slogans transformed into questions by the pollsters.

The presenter continues, determined to reveal the true opinions of the "French" submitted to Internet polls to which "only fools and fascists" respond (according to political scientist Alain Garrigou) in exchange for vouchers. “Another point, are there 70% to 80% of French people who say it is not enough to be born in France to be French? “I have contacted half a dozen polling institutes and pollsters and none have a survey on this issue. Eric Zemmour's entourage refers me to the last Ipsos survey, I peeled it, there is no poll on this point. But it will not be long, I trust the zealous sondologists to transform a tirade of Zemmour into a very scientific question very rationally asked to the respondents, sorry, to the "French".

“One more point, are there 70% to 80% of French people who say “France is a country of Christian roots”? — Again, no study with this formulation. But let's not despair: “Ipsos questioned the French on the compatibility of religions with the values ​​of society. 88% of respondents that the Catholic religion is compatible with our values ​​and a minority of French people, 41%, think that the Muslim religion is compatible with the values ​​of society. The profession of sondologist has progressed fabulously since the time when, as a student, I learned to make questionnaires, to submit them and to interpret them. In those dark 1990s, we would never have had the guts to turn into a proposition the antiphon of a racist delinquent, “Islam is incompatible with the Republic”.

Monday the 20th falls the day after the closing of the first round of the environmentalists' primary. Faced with Yannick Jadot qualifies for the final Sandrine Rousseau, “ecofeminist, intersectional, woke ideology”, summarizes Valérie Nataf on LCI. On BFMTV, the debates focus on an obvious parallel highlighted by the banners. “Zemmour/Rousseau: the premium for radicality”, “Zemmour/Rousseau: the countryside is becoming radicalized? », « 2022: the premium for the extremes », « Zemmour-Rousseau: the one-upmanship ». Dismissing back to back a feminist ecologist and a masculinist supremacist in favor of the deportation of part of the French population, this testifies to a remarkable concern for impartiality of the Fogiel chain. More (unintentionally) comical, the title of the “duel” which pits Alain Duhamel against Manuel Valls on Wednesday, “Facing Duhamel: the extremization of the debates”. A beautiful title for the Prime Minister who invented the extreme right left.

"Zemmour and Rousseau, two sides of the same coin", I even hear on a channel. (I have forgotten which one and who pronounced this sentence. My brain is saturated, there was even one night when I was awakened by a nightmare in which Zemmour appeared in the middle of a forest of hanged people, it will be necessary that I talk to my shrink.)

On social networks, BFMTV promotes its “new podcast: “Le service politique”. Episode 2: when Éric Zemmour the polemicist becomes Éric Zemmour the politician”. Journalist Philippe Corbé delivers a most striking revelation: “I found myself at a Rolling Stones concert sitting next to Éric Zemmour. He had a special fascination for Mick Jagger, he was amazed by his charisma. I remember saying to myself: “It can hardly be more distant than Éric Zemmour and Mick Jagger, provocative androgynous.” And in fact I said to myself…” Zemmour has an androgynous side? Not really: "There is a part of Éric Zemmour who also has this part of the show that should not be minimized, there is the idea of ​​​​being on stage, facing an audience, an audience watching you and who says “I love you”. In short, Éric Zemmour is the Mick Jagger of politics.

Monday 20 is above all the launch of BFMTV's intense promotional campaign for the Thursday debate between Zemmour and Mélenchon. With a trailer worthy of a Hollywood blockbuster that would pit two Marvel superheroes against each other. And a host of specially dedicated programs until the fateful date. “Mélenchon / Zemmour: the debate on Thursday”, trumpeted the banners, while the supporters of the offender strutted around, such as Antoine Diers, spokesperson for the Friends of Éric Zemmour, and Stanislas Rigault, of Generation Z.

On LCI, Ruth Elkrief does not intend to be upstaged. After a long report by Paul Larrouturou on the Zemmour meeting in Nice (a sequence of which makes Benjamin Duhamel's crucial question heard: "Mr. Zemmour, how do you feel?", proof that BFMTV did well to hurry a special envoy), the presenter receives… Jean-Luc Mélenchon. Whose performance, with a commendable concern for balance, is immediately analyzed by exclusively right-wing experts (Barbara Lefebvre, Claude Malhuret and Raphaël-rather-Le-Pen-than-Mélenchon-Enthoven).

The next day a poll appeared, forcing BFMTV to devote new airtime to the superhero. “2022 survey: Zemmour at 11%! “Trumpet the headbands while the sondologist Jean-Daniel Lévy comments:” Éric Zemmour manages to be at the center of the game and to take part of the space, especially from the far right. For its part, BFMTV manages to be at the center of the game by dedicating most of its space to the far right. On LCI, Éric Brunet is not to be outdone: “Today, the electoral camembert, it is not on the left. The big electoral pie chart is the voters of the right, of the ultra-right. Finally, I'm going to take some livarot again. As Françoise Degois links Zemmour to Maurras and the anti-Semitic Croix-de-Feu league, Éric Brunet protests: “Never speak ill of the Croix-de-Feu! “, on the pretext that Colonel de La Rocque was rehabilitated at the Liberation. I expect soon “Never speak ill of the SS! “Since it was cleared by Faurisson.

This Tuesday is also an opportunity for BFMTV to boast of Zemmour's "presidential" stature. While the latter publishes on his YouTube channel a reaction to the “submarine crisis”, the news channel hastens to broadcast it on a loop by attributing to it “very solemn airs of a presidential address”. I look forward to his induction speech as President of the Republic live from the island of Yeu, perched on the tomb of Marshal Pétain.

The next day, Robert Ménard, arbiter of elegance between Zemmour and Le Pen, is again a guest of BFMTV, at Natacha Polony — he also has his assigned chair in 24h Pujadas, on LCI, and he appears frequently on CNews… So , he is mayor of Béziers or columnist on TV? Its gift of ubiquity is due to an undeniable asset: officially "without label", the channels can classify it in the "various right" and thus not to cut back on the time devoted to the far right.

To compensate for the airtime reserved for this apolitical guest, Natacha Polony then receives Emmanuel Brenner, author of the Lost Territories of the Republic, bible of Islamophobes, to talk about anti-Semitism - that of Muslims because, as it says Elisabeth Lévy on CNews, "far-right anti-Semitism does not break the face of Jewish children". He contents himself with rounding them up, deporting them and gassing them.

“Mélenchon/Zemmour: D-1”, proclaim the banners of BFMTV, and the debates follow one another on the regrettable radicalization of the debates, “Zemmour-Mélenchon: so far, so close? » . Another title soon crosses the screen, "Zemmour, a box in the bookstore". “78,851 copies sold in five days,” boasts a journalist. BFMTV's media plan worked well.

On the fateful day, there is only one news on BFMTV: the evening debate. The opportunity to survey a large part of the political spectrum. Marine Le Pen: “Tonight is a debate between friends. Marion Maréchal: “Éric Zemmour is an interesting man for political debate. Marine Le Pen: “All debates interest me. »

When suddenly an unexpected "clash of images" arises: Zemmour makes the front page of Paris Match, photographed during a languorous swim with his adviser Sarah Knafo, whom he exceeds by a large head by virtue of his impressive size of a volleyball player. The opportunity for a substantive debate enlightened by Bruno Jeudy, both editor-in-chief of Paris Match and BFMTV editorialist: “The object of the investigation is the fusional relationship on the intellectual level. “And the object of BFMTV is the fusional relationship on the television level.

The tension is rising, the headbands testify to it. “Mélenchon/Zemmour: the big day. » « Mélenchon/Zemmour: debate H-2. “Zemmour: how he prepares. » « Mélenchon/Zemmour: debate H-1. “Mélenchon/Zemmour: behind the scenes of the debate. » « Mélenchon / Zemmour: debate H-45 minutes. “Debate: Zemmour arrives at BFMTV. » « Mélenchon/Zemmour: debate H-30 minutes. " " Mélenchon / Zemmour: Le Pen kicks into touch. » « Mélenchon / Zemmour: debate H-15 minutes. “Mélenchon/Zemmour: will there be a winner? »

I am not talking here about the content of the said debate, which has already been sufficiently commented on (twenty-four hours later, the hashtags “BFMTV debate” and “Zemmour” were still at the top of Twitter “trends”). But I can't help praising the aptness of Éric Brunet who, on LCI, plays counter-programming with debates on the themes "Marshal gets closer to Zemmour" then "Zemmour in the media, Le Pen in the field" which give voice to marshalists as well as Lepenists.

About Lepenism, BFMTV, in its debrief of the debate, found an undisputed justice of the peace to decide between the duelists Mélenchon and Zemmour: Jean-Marie Le Pen in person. A great moment of political rumble.

This Friday, the apotheosis promised by BFMTV is confirmed by audience figures: nearly 4 million viewers, France's leading channel. It's time for the news channel to renew itself. So she sends a special envoy to Budapest to the "summit of European identities" to collect the secrets... of Éric Zemmour. Which celebrates Viktor Orban: "I admire his resistance to the era (sic) of time", transcribes the chain. Or: "I don't think Viktor Orban is an authoritarian leader. No more than Augusto Pinochet, whose playful character Desproges liked to recall since "his name contains the word 'rattle'". BFMTV does not neglect Marion Maréchal, about whom Zemmour declares: “She is an intelligent, open, curious girl. We are on the same strategic line. “I can already imagine the next cover of Paris Match on “the Marion Maréchal-Sarah Knafo war” in swimsuits.

To calm my fear of missing out (of racism), a press release tells me this Friday that Zemmour will be the guest on Sunday of the Grand rendezvous of CNews and Europe 1, hosted by Sonia Mabrouk, the famous antifa activist. To finish filling me up, LCI announces for Monday evening a “special program” hosted by Ruth Elkrief and entitled “Éric Zemmour, how far can he go? » Until occupying the entire airtime of the news channels? Be that as it may, the news of recent days demonstrates the relevance of the Mélenchonist strategy: we must agree to debate with him so that Zemmour ceases to occupy all the ground.