To great ills, great remedies ? Tuesday February 16, 2021, Richard Berry's lawyer, Hervé Temime, was the guest of Anne-Elisabeth Lemoine on her show C to you. The ex-companion of Valérie Lemercier evoked the accusations of rape and sexual assault which are based on his client since the complaint of Coline Berry, daughter of the actor … but also the recent decision of France 3 for having deprogrammed a film in which Richard Berry was playing. Indeed, on Friday February 12, 2021, the public service channel announced that Damien's Law would be broadcast in prime time. It will not be. Pinned directly by the lawyer of the Paris Bar, France 3 had finally communicated brief explanations sent directly to the presenter's phone. Wednesday February 17, 2021, France Télévisions wanted to explain itself more fully.
France TV evokes a duty of "neutrality and appeasement"
"Do you know what happened on Friday night? A film in which Richard Berry is only an actor, was deprogrammed from France 3 at the last moment! Is that the presumption of innocence? (…) This is how we stone people! ", Hervé Témime proclaimed in C to you. Powerless in the face of the situation, Anne-Elisabeth had finally received a message from France 3 on his phone: "In order not to disrupt the legal procedures, (…) in agreement with the beneficiaries, France 3 is postponing the programming of Damien's law ". An answer far from satisfying Richard Berry's lawyer who concluded the debate, beside himself, with a little sentence that had its effect: "I hope they have good lawyers …"
Wednesday February 17, 2021, twenty-four hours after this lively exchange, Anne-Elisabeth Lemoine once again clarified the situation by reading a press release from France Télévisions: "The purpose of the channel was not to take sides in a legal case but on the contrary, to remain neutral and to protect all parties", began the presenter. "France Télévisions told us, moreover, to regret that this decision could have been misinterpreted by some. By insisting on its duty of neutrality and appeasement. This is only a postponement", she expressed, before focusing on "maximum clarity". To conclude, Patrick Cohen's sidekick also clarified that director Arnaud Selignac was not at the origin of this decision. That is clear.
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