” VS’is the loneliness that exposes; it is through threat and fear that freedom of expression is endangered, that freedom as a whole disappears. The truth is that we will soon no longer be able to speak of this religion or even of fanaticism and fundamentalism. One more little effort and these subjects will become totally taboo, a blind spot, a problem that no media will dare to deal with and address. » Contacted by Point, Mand Richard Malka, attorney for Charlie Hebdo and the young Mila, reacted strongly to the threats made against the host of M6, Ophélie Meunier, and a young Roubaisien, Amine Elbahi, witness of the program Restricted zone dedicated to radical Islam, which the channel aired on 26 January.
Both threatened with death on social networks, they were placed under police protection by decision of the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin. “I have given instructions that each time a journalist is the subject of serious threats, he benefits from police protection”, reacted on Saturday on Twitter the boss of Place Beauvau.
“Don’t leave her alone”
Welcoming “the courage” of M6 as well as the journalists and producers of this issue of Restricted zone, Richard Malka, himself under police protection since 2015, urged all television channels to broadcast it. “The correct response from the profession would be that in solidarity with this presenter (Ophélie Meunier), and in order not to leave her alone in the face of the threats of which she is the target, all the channels broadcast this report. As all the newspapers should have, in 2007, taken up and published in their columns the caricatures of Charlie Hebdo “, encourages the lawyer.
“Otherwise, the reign of terror will spread and we will no longer show this reality. Without support, which host, which channel will accept, tomorrow, to return to these subjects? What courageous witness will dare to speak openly, as Mr. Elbahi did in this report? This man, who courageously defends a profoundly humanist conception of Islam, should be unanimously supported; however, today he finds himself alone in the world”, deplores Me Malka, whose book, The Right to Annoy God (Grasset), who resumed his plea in civil action at the trial of the perpetrators of the attack on Charlie Hebdo, has already sold 80,000 copies.
READ ALSORichard Malka: “All my passions, I put them in this book”
“Mélenchon, agent of terror”
“In the absence of a reaction, there will be no more reporting or investigation of Islam and, in particular, radical Islam. We’ll say to ourselves that it’s too many problems – we already say that to ourselves, by the way… And the “no vaguism” will definitely prevail. To do nothing is to accept not being informed anymore, it is to let radicalism prosper”, warns the one who also defends Mila, targeted by thousands of death threats and forced, for two years, to live in hiding, in following his remarks on the Muslim religion, on social networks.
READ ALSOMila case: a French defeat
Richard Malka finally curbs the comments of Jean-Luc Mélenchon, “who has not seen the show, but has allowed himself to judge it dishonest”, in the show Facing Baba which opposed him on C8 to Éric Zemmour, Thursday, January 27. “By acting like this, with such remarks, Mr. Mélenchon turns into an agent of terror”, condemns the lawyer of charlie.