Cyril Hanouna promised "crazy duels".
Some exchanges were indeed eventful.
This Thursday on C8, the host of Touche not at my post received the far-right candidate for the 2022 presidential election, Eric Zemmour, for the launch of his new political program “Face à Baba”.
For about three hours, the pretender to the Élysée returned to his ideas and his vision of France.
He faced a dozen speakers, including journalist Aymeric Caron and Minister responsible for Women's Rights Elisabeth Moreno.
Not without mayhem.
Anthology.
Aymeric Caron: “You are the Monsieur Jourdain of racism!
"
Aymeric Caron and Éric Zemmour have in common to have been chroniclers of "We are not lying", the program of Laurent Ruquier on France 2. But it is undoubtedly the only one.
The first debater to cross swords with the candidate, the journalist and essayist wants to "put a smile on the horrors that you [Éric Zemmour] tell".
"You, you do not put a smile on the nonsense you tell," replied the presidential candidate, eliciting some applause from the public.
The tone began to rise on the subject of racism, of which Eric Zemmour is sometimes accused but of which he systematically defends himself. “You are the Monsieur Jourdain of racism! “, The attack Aymeric Caron, allusion to the fact that the candidate would be racist… without knowing it nor making it official. "I speak to you as I want", he continues, while his former colleague (Figaro, Figaro Magazine, etc.) accuses him of expressing himself poorly.
Aymeric Caron took it wrong to appear in Eric Zemmour's campaign clip, posted on November 30 and viewed 2.9 million times, when the candidate castigates what he calls "the well-meaning" .
He accuses him of exaggerating the situation by asserting that 2 million new foreigners would arrive in France in five years, which Eric Zemmour regularly affirms.
Aymeric Caron puts forward the number of 750,000, taking into account "people who are leaving" from France and those who die.
Nothing will have made them agree.
Éric Naulleau, an assumed "friend"
Last December 5, Eric Naulleau assured to have gone to the first campaign meeting of Eric Zemmour, as a “journalist”.
In Villepinte, the journalist, columnist for Touche not at my post, was however in the first row, among the guests.
Second duelist of the show, the columnist commented on this ambiguity.
Faced with “Baba”, Naulleau concedes “having come as a friend”.
For him, one goes with the other.
The two have crossed paths on multiple TV shows and have since forged a "strong friendship", which does not prevent them from having "many disagreements".
Naulleau shells them on the board.
On the issue of immigration, the two would agree only on the deportation of foreign offenders.
Regarding the meeting, Naulleau therefore specifies: “Villepinte was a very important moment in the life of Eric Zemmour.
I also picked up lots of useful observations for my work.
But I was not a support.
We are men of convictions, we remain on our disagreements while being friends ”.
The two exchange smiles.
Friends, even if one becomes the other's minister, if he becomes president?
"No", answers Naulleau.
Elisabeth Moreno considers herself "humiliated" by Zemmour's writings
"I feel humiliated when you say that we are goals and spoils", immediately tackles the Minister Delegate in charge of Equality between women and men, Diversity and Equal opportunities, Elisabeth Moreno . "The candidate will not take any action against women," wants to reassure Eric Zemmour, at the same time believing that parity was "a bad measure" for women. A speech he has been holding for several years.
The female vote is one of the stones on the road of the polemicist, if he wishes to access the Elysee.
According to an Ifop poll conducted for the magazine "Elle" and published on October 29, 17% of men but only 12% of women intended to vote Eric Zemmour at the time.
"While Marine Le Pen had succeeded in neutralizing the gender gap, that is to say the differences in the postures of the electorate vis-à-vis the extreme right at the time of Jean-Marie Me Pen, the candidacy Zemmour le reactive ”, indicated to us at the time Louise Jussian, in charge of studies at Ifop and author of a note published this Monday by the Jean-Jaurès Foundation.
What does it matter for Eric Zemmour.
“Are women treated equally?
»Asks the minister.
"Yes", responds bluntly the candidate, assuring for example that women "choose their profession".
After the subject of women, there is that of transsexual people.
“These people are what they feel, and these people have the right to be protected in their rights.
Those who commit suicide commit suicide because of people like you, ”insists Élisabeth Borne.
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Accusing him of "promoting transgender", Eric Zemmour replies with a visibly well prepared formula: "France is not a Mc Donald, we do not come as we are.
After 15 minutes of additional debate compared to the 10 minutes allotted, the exchange ended with as many disagreements as at the beginning.
Karim Zéribi wants a "big comeback of republican values"
For the debate on the place of Islam in France, it is Karim Zéribi who sticks to it. “When we love our country, we have to fight Islam, we have to fight delinquency, we have to send back illegal immigrants. But we must also recognize that there are immigrants in a regular situation who love France as much as I do ”, immediately blurted out the former elected ecologist and ex-columnist of“ Grandes gueules ”on RMC. Rather than a “great replacement” dear to Eric Zemmour, he pleads for a “great return of republican values”.
Faithful to his line, Eric Zemmour recalls that he "would ban the veil everywhere".
He assimilates this fabric covering the head to "a desire to colonize the country".
The veil worn for a political conviction or under duress?
“It can exist.
But the vast majority of women who wear the headscarf do so out of conviction, respecting the principles of secularism, like the Catholic sisters, ”replied Karim Zéribi.
Dialogue deaf there too, but in a tone a little more civilized than the previous debates and others that were to follow.
"I am not defending the veil, I am defending freedom of conscience", insists Karim Zéribi.
And to conclude: "I could not be your friend like Éric Naulleau, because we are poles apart in terms of values".
This time, Eric Zemmour had nothing to complain about.
Alexis Corbière at the charge
When Eric Zemmour attributes sexism to “suburbs”, Alexis Corbière leaps from his seat.
He cuts off the ongoing discussions: "You have been incorrect with women".
The deputy La France Insoumise de Seine-Saint-Denis begins in advance with a stroke of blood.
Was a time when the two were in sympathy, underlines Hanouna.
This is no longer the case.
The real duel takes place tens of minutes later.
He had to relate to the level at school, but nothing helped: "I'm fed up that we hate Seine-Saint-Denis", begins Corbière, spokesperson for Jean-Luc Mélenchon.
Zemmour sends him back to the worst.
Communism, Lenin and Robespierre.
“You both love history,” Hanouna says, to reconcile them.
The voices overlap.
Read also Immigration, Vichy, first names ... Eric Zemmour is he really knowledgeable in history?
Should we pay teachers better, as Corbière asserts?
Zemmour dodges and increases on the programs, too "ideological", according to him.
Corbière, former professor of History: "In the textbooks, there are Joan of Arc and Napoleon".
"We killed that school," replies Zemmour.
According to him, the courses on 1914-1918 would insist too much on the mistreatment of France towards the colonial troops.
“We have used them, however,” replies Corbière.
Both recognize the presence of soldiers from the colonies at the front.
"You agree on something, I like it".
Hanouna is satisfied.
It's already that.