The Minister of Culture Roselyne Bachelot denounced on Monday January 17 on Twitter “
intolerable violence
” committed against an AFP team, which covered an anti-vaccination pass rally on Saturday.
Read alsoAFP to file a complaint after the attack on its journalists during an anti-pass demonstration
“
A team from Agence France-Presse was molested and threatened with death during a demonstration on Saturday in Paris.
This violence is intolerable.
Preventing journalists from doing their job is an attack on our democracy
,” the minister lamented.
The news agency must file a complaint Monday with the public prosecutor on behalf of the two journalists attacked for "
intentional violence in a meeting
" and "
death threats
", and on his behalf for "
obstructing freedom of expression
".
Journalists threatened with death
Two image reporters (JRI) and their two close protection agents were violently attacked and threatened with death on Saturday, while covering a rally in Paris against the vaccine pass.
This demonstration was organized by Les Patriotes, the formation of the far-right pro-Frexit presidential candidate Florian Philippot.
According to journalists, around fifty people tried to attack the AFP videographer, responding to the call of a hooded individual with a megaphone.
The protection officers intervened, but were beaten with truncheons.
The team received death threats, and one of the security guards was hit in the head with a bottle, resulting in a skull wound.
Read alsoNormandy: a journalist attacked in Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray files a complaint
"
AFP denounces the trivialization of attacks, verbal and now physical, against its teams and is concerned about the new level of violence reached
," said Sunday the CEO of the agency, Fabrice Fries.
This is the second assault by an AFP team covering protests against the health pass in the space of a few months.
In July 2021, two JRIs had received spitting and insults during a previous demonstration organized by Florian Philippot.
