Nèdeem Elmahjoub's blog

Halimi and Rimbert imply that there should be impartiality in Western media reporting of the war on Palestinians. I disagree. There cannot be impartial reporting of oppression. How the French media looked away from the suffering inflicted on Palestinians

Note:  Gabon mentions the ‘egalitarian principles of the French Republic’. I wish he referred to when in its history the Republic has ever had those egalitarian principles in reality. Gabon does not put the word ‘Islam’ in inverted commas. Is ‘Islam’ one as it is often portrayed or attacked? Does the French state have a problem with the ‘Islam’ of the Saudi monarchy? Does it have a problem with the .’Islam’ of el-Sisi in Egypt?  Did the French state have any problem with Bourguiba’s and Ben Ali’s regimes when they banned the headscarf in Tunisia public institutions and repressed those who broke the law? ******* “Even more surprisingly given the extremist and openly anti-Republican nature of Philippe’s declarations - even former presidential candidate  Marine Le Pen  never advocated anything like this - there has been little reaction from the political class, media, and public intellectuals, with the notable exception of an  open letter  by a handful of academics. The general public has

“While French news corporations have been historically controlled by entrepreneurs in the luxury, defence and telecommunications sectors, they are now being bought by fossil capitalists and  Françafrique  investors. What explains this shift? For one thing, these sectors have experienced tremendous growth in recent years. The fact that the public considers them somewhat passé has not made them any less lucrative. Capitalists like Bolloré have compelling motives to engage in this struggle over public opinion. Since losing his parliamentary majority in 2022, the President has adopted an approach of strategic ambiguity towards the far right, alternately condemning and embracing its ideas.” Fossil media

Since the 2000s, there has been a shift in France’s media and among its politicians. While the media landscape had evolved in the 1970s and ’80s, with many supporting the Palestinian right to self-determination and the need to negotiate with the Palestine Liberation Organisation (which Israel and the US denounced as a terrorist group), the consensus position has since shifted dramatically. Some now see Palestine through the lens of the “war on terror” and the “Islamist menace”. Any condemnation of Zionism is presented as a form of antisemitism. This reflects the position of European governments, especially France, which have aligned themselves with Israel and adopted - what many consider to be - Islamophobic positions in recent years. “How French media censored my views”

“French politicians spend little time discussing socio-economic issues. The most polarised debates revolve around  culture wars . In France, they focus on immigration, Islam and its alleged threat to  laïcité  and French republican values, culture and education. There are constant attacks on ‘ Islamo-Leftism ’ and ‘ woke culture ’. These strengthen the hand of the far Right, which traditionally thrives on those issues.” A creature of the ‘French establishment’

Reactionary intellectual class

 Are you Charlie or not?