Mélenchon Defends Two LFI Politicians, Cites "Racism"
Listen to the story
French left-wing leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon has accused the media of systemic racism against two members of his party, La France Insoumise (LFI).
He named Bally Bagayoko and Aly Diouara, saying the media find it unacceptable that they are both Black and members of LFI.
Mélenchon described critics in the press as media supremacists, suggesting they believe their views are superior and target people unfairly because of race.
The comments come amid a wider controversy involving suspected fictitious employment at the RATP, the company that runs public transport in Paris.
Bally Bagayoko previously worked as an agent for the RATP, and reports say several local officials in the Val-d'Oise region had contact with him during that time.
Journalists are now examining whether his job at the company was real or simply a way to receive payment without genuine work.
Separately, a new controversy has emerged involving another LFI mayor, which has also angered Mélenchon.
He has criticised what he calls a pattern of unfair media attention toward Black politicians in his party.
Mélenchon has not provided further details about the nature of the new mayoral controversy, but he has strongly defended both Bagayoko and Diouara.
The accusations of racism add to ongoing tensions between LFI and parts of the French media, which the party has often accused of bias.
No official response from RATP or the journalists involved has been reported so far.
Vocabulary10 words
- systemic racism
- unfair treatment based on race that happens across a whole system, not just one person
- media supremacists
- people who think their views or group are better and misuse media power
- fictitious employment
- a job that does not really exist, often used to pay someone without real work
- controversy
- a big disagreement or debate discussed in public
- RATP
- the company that operates buses and trains in the Paris region
- agent
- a worker employed to do a job for a company
- mayor
- the elected leader of a town or city
- bias
- unfair support for one side over another
- party
- an organised political group
- tensions
- stress or conflict between two sides
Quiz
Answer key
1. Practising systemic racism against Black LFI members 2. Suspected fictitious employment involving Bagayoko 3. True
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
French left-wing leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon has accused the media of systemic _____ against two members of his party.
He named Bally Bagayoko and Aly _____, saying the media find it unacceptable that they are both Black and LFI members.
Mélenchon described critics in the press as media _____.
The comments come amid a wider controversy involving suspected _____ employment at the RATP.
Bally Bagayoko previously worked as an _____ for the RATP.
Reports say several local officials in the Val-d'Oise region had contact with him during that _____.
Journalists are now examining whether his job at the company was real or simply a way to receive _____ without genuine work.
Separately, a new controversy has emerged involving another LFI _____.
He has criticised what he calls a pattern of unfair media attention toward Black politicians in his _____.
The accusations of racism add to ongoing _____ between LFI and parts of the French media.