The Paris Administrative Court on Monday ordered France 2 to invite Benoît Hamon, Florian Philippot and François Asselineau to its Thursday debate on the Europeans, or failing to include them in a similar "big meeting" before 23 April .
Benoît Hamon, François Asselineau and Florian Philippot will participate in the debate organized on Thursday night on France 2 and bringing together the main lists in the European elections, announced Tuesday the channel, according to court rulings to that effect.
Ian Brossat and Jean-Christophe Lagarde already drafted. Nevertheless, the channel, which initially did not invite these three candidates, will appeal the decisions ordering them to integrate them in this debate of April 4, organized within the framework of the political emission , or to another debate of April 23, France 2 considering that such a judgment "is a serious violation of freedom of the press."
France 2 announced on March 26 that this debate would bring together the heads of lists in the European elections Manon Aubry (LFI), Jordan Bardella (RN), François-Xavier Bellamy (LR), Nicolas Dupont-Aignan (DLF), Raphael Glucksmann (list commune Place public-PS), Yannick Jadot (EELV) and Nathalie Loiseau (LREM), as well as Ian Brossat (PCF) and Jean-Christophe Lagarde (UDI). These last two had been both rescued by the chain after being initially discarded. Benoît Hamon (Generations), Florian Philippot (Les Patriotes) and François Asselineau (UPR) had challenged this decision via a referé-liberté, seeing a breach of the obligations of the chain in terms of pluralism, which appear in its specifications .
"A serious attack on the freedom of the press". Monday, the administrative court had given reason to the three recalés, ordering France 2 either to invite them to the debate on April 4, or to organize a new issue of similar debate by April 23. "France Télévisions appeals the decisions of the administrative court of Paris of April 1, asking him to grant the requests for invitation of three candidates," announced the public group.
"The decision of an administrative court, thus on the editorial content and programming of an information broadcast, which is outside the campaign period defined by the rules of the CSA (which starts on April 15) , carries a serious attack on the freedom of the press ", estimated France Televisions. "Nevertheless, in execution of the orders made by the judge of the summary of the administrative court, Benoît Hamon, François Asselineau and Florian Philippot will be present on the set of the Political Emission on Thursday, April 4", added the public group.