Since the broadcast of the documentary, the lawyer Amine Elbahi, who can be seen in several sequences, is said to have received death threats. “My phone number circulated on social networks, several calls for murder were spread. I am threatened with beheading, slitting my throat and with attacking me for making a truthful speech especially about the inaction of the mayor of my municipality,” he told BFMTV. It seems, however, that he is not the only one. According to Nicolas de Tavernost, Ophelie Meunier, the presenter of “Zone interdite”, was the target of threatening messages that made it necessary to put her under police protection.
On Friday January the 28th, the CEO of the M6 Broadcasting Group was heard by the Senate’s Commission of Inquiry into Media Concentration. When asked if he had interfered with the editorial policy of his stations, he defended himself by referring to the said issue of the news magazine. “In order to do my job, I am forced to judge a number of criteria. Let me give you a very specific example: We made a programme called ‘Zone interdite’ which caused quite a stir. We discussed this programme. If you call that interference, Mr Assouline [rapporteur of the Committee of Inquiry, note], then I interfered in that programme.
I have asked if we have guarantees that it is not an “extremist” programme, I have asked if the presenter who is being threatened is protected, I have asked if the witnesses who are speaking are well anonymised, etc.,” he said, adding: “I have done the job that I think I have to do on a programme whose decision is ultimately mine. I claim to have approved this programme. But only because I was asked to do it. It could have been decided otherwise. I consider it my duty to take responsibility: If you call that interfering, I call it doing my duty”.
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