Criticized for his participation in a debate against Éric Zemmour, Jean-Luc Mélenchon is justified – LCI

Should we debate with Éric Zemmour? This is the question asked to Jean-Luc Mélenchon since the leader of La France insoumise agreed to face the polemicist on the set of BFMTV on Thursday evening. Some activists of the LFI movement dispute this decision, believing that such publicity should not be offered to the journalist, still not officially a candidate for the presidential election.

“I see this debate as a fight”, justified Jean-Luc Mélenchon Monday evening on LCI. Faced with criticism, the rebellious leader said he wanted to impose his themes on him, such as “social and ecology” which will constitute “half of the show”. “With Mr. Zemmour we have concentrated lepenism”, it’s “a concentrate of hatred”. “I knew him as a brilliant commentator (…) and then I saw him collapse (…) he has an idea of ​​the history of France which is sectarian”, “these people are propagating a doctrine which leads to violence”, he commented.

The most loyal lieutenants of Jean-Luc Mélenchon have all defended the choice of the deputy of Bouches-du-Rhône. “Mr. Zemmour has become a kind of political reference for the right and therefore we have to confront him in debate because there are two visions of France that are separate. On the one hand, an ethnic vision of France that Mr. Zemmour, on the other hand, a republican vision which will put on the table the real problems facing the French “, defended on BFMTV the MEP Manuel Bompard.

“Zemmour is everywhere and no one confronts him on the field of ideas”, regretted the deputy Adrien Quatennens. “Yannick Jadot admits that he would not be ready to debate with Zemmour. Does he think he is fighting the extreme right with solos from TV shows or by demonstrating at his side at the call of police unions?”, he added, while the candidate for the environmentalist primary accused Jean-Luc Mélenchon of wanting to do the “buzz” and commit “a political fault” who will give “credit to Eric Zemmour’s theses which are frankly detestable”.

The ecologist also suspects him of wanting to take advantage of Eric Zemmour’s media coverage: “He sees a media bubble with Zemmour, he says to himself ‘maybe this will suck me up'”, estimated the one who will debate against Sandrine Rousseau Wednesday evening on LCI.

The deputy Alexis Corbière, too, refused the trials in legitimation and empowerment of Eric Zemmour: “It is because he does not want us to lock ourselves into a rotten debate that it is time to give an answer to what is rotten”, he justified on franceinfo. Asked about the fact that Jean-Luc Mélenchon refused to go to CNews when Eric Zemmour was a columnist, he replied: “At the time, he was a columnist, there was the CNews staff strike, demanding at that time that there is no more Zemmour. The employees lost this battle and I will not be more radical than the employees of the house. Zemmour’s status has changed. And in any case everyone has discussed with Zemmour, all the political parties. So let’s get out of a form of hypocrisy. “