Vincent Bolloré and his media empire, a springboard for the far right in France?

Trial required in France against Vincent Bollore for corruption in

According to The world, the president of the Republicans Éric Ciotti met Vincent Bolloré before the announcement of his joining the National Rally, which exploded the French right. For ten years, the billionaire has been working to build a media empire, hoping to influence the political field.

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Since Sunday evening and the first place of the National Rally in the European elections, in the media of the group of Vincent BolloréOnne don’t shy away from your pleasure. And we hardly hide his political ambition either.

Latest episode: Thursday, the journalist of World Raphaëlle Bacqué revealed how Vincent Bolloré “ orchestra » behind the scenes the rapprochement between the RN and the president of the Republicans Eric Ciotti. The day after the European elections, she says, Éric Ciotti contacted Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella. But that day, the one who is still the president of the Republicans (LR), also met Vincent Bolloré.

The two men have known each other for a long time and, last Monday, together, they will imagine the agreement establishing the alliance between LR and the far-right party. At that time, no Republican executive was informed of Eric Ciotti’s intentions, says The worldinvited the next day on CNews, a channel owned by Vincent Bolloré.

For around ten years, the Breton businessman has built an empire in the media and publishing: acquisition of I-télé which became CNews, Europe 1, Paris Match, The Sunday Journal recently… A group that he put at the service of his political project: a crusade against immigration and Islam, both liberal and reactionary.

Read alsoVincent Bolloré, his media at the service of the rights

To achieve his ambition, he has long dreamed of a “ union of rights »: rally some of the executives and elected officials of LR to the far right to lead its defense of the Christian West. In 2022, he seemed to have found his perfect candidate in Éric Zemmour. Ultimately, it will be Éric Ciotti, who has never made a secret of his obsession with identity. For the 2022 presidential election, he publicly announced that in the event of a face-to-face meeting between Macron and Zemmour, he would vote for the boss of Reconquête!. It was already, remember The world a few hours after a tête-à-tête with Vincent Bolloré “.

Campaigning for “ the union of rights »

For the journalist and media specialist Clara-Doïna Schmelckif we cannot consider that “ everything was calculated “, ” this event is fully part of a context which has been well prepared. with the media installation by Bolloré of a political climate which more favorably welcomes the ideas of the RN. It’s kind of fertile ground. »

It’s a machine that has been in place since Vincent Bolloré transformed I-Télé into CNews, and they decided to do sets because it costs less than doing reports and it’s more captivating. ‘having people arguing on set, explains Raphaël Garrigos*, co-author of the L’empire pour les Jours.fr. “ Since the channel has existed at the end of 2016, they have been making use of everything, every news item, every news item, which they are blowing up. And now, for a year and a half, Cyril Hanouna on C8 has joined this same way of doing things. »

Since the announcement of the dissolution on Sunday and in the run-up to the legislative elections, the channels of the Bolloré empire seem to have put themselves more than ever in battle order to achieve the political designs of their owner. “ They chose their side, underlines Raphaël Garrigos by analyzing the media sequence of the last few days: Pascal Praud castigating “ the stupidest right in the world » speaking of the Republicans opposed to the rally. “ It is on Europe 1 that Alexis Brézet, columnist for Europe 1 and editorial director of Le Figaro, says that the right must engage with the RNpoints out the journalist again. In the same way, Cyril Hanouna questions in his show on Wednesday which is worse from LFI or the RN. » Response from the facilitator: “ LFI in power, I’m leaving, that’s for sure. ” A ” joke » which is not so innocent when we know that, as revealed Marianne thanks to a survey commissioned from Ipsos, half of the viewers of Touche pas à mon poste (TPMP) voted for the extreme right.

Again Thursday, Hanouna staged in TPMP an attempt at reconciliation between Reconquête! and the RN, Sarah Knafo calling Jordan Bardella for him “ ten[dre] the hand » and propose a union. “ So it’s definitely a fight. », concludes the journalist from Jours.fr.

*And author of The Empire: how Vincent Bolloré ate Canal+.



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