The NGO Reporters Without Borders announced that it would respond “by appropriate legal means” to accusations made against it on Twitter by militant journalists Gaspard Glanz and Taha Bouhafs.
Pass of arms on Twitter on November 25 between Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and two activist journalists, Gaspard Glanz and Taha Bouhafs. While RSF supports the journalist groups against the bill on Global Security and a possible attack on press freedom, the organization was accused of collusion with the government by the two individuals on social networks. Reporters Without Borders warns on November 25 that it “will respond by legal means to the threats, insults and defamatory comments made by Gaspard Glanz and to the false allegations and aberrant accusations peddled by Taha Bouhafs against the organization and its leader” .
In a series of tweets, RSF defended the accusations leveled against it by the two journalists involved, who each have thousands of subscribers on social networks and therefore enjoy high visibility.
Gaspard Glanz a accused RSF to be “an association financed mainly by subsidies from the French State [avec un] director Christophe Deloire [qui est] a friend to Macron ”. RSF contests: “Gaspard Glanz claims against all truth that the majority of RSF funding comes from” the French state “. However, French public subsidies correspond to less than 15% of the organization’s budget. ”
.@GaspardGlanz asserts against all truth that the majority of @RSF_inter comes from the “French State”. However, French public subsidies correspond to less than 15% of the organization’s budget.
– RSF in French (@RSF_fr) November 25, 2020
Gaspard Glanz wrote the same day: “These opportunists, these RSF bastards who NEVER SAID ANYTHING for YEARS when we were wounded, in GAV [garde à vue], etc… They try to negotiate like a rat with Castex, against the Coordination of Journalists, to appear as saviors! YOU Christophe Deloire [secrétaire général de RSF] of your deaths. “
ALERT!
These opportunists, these bastards of @RSF_fr who NEVER SAID ANYTHING for YEARS when we were injured, in GAV, etc.
They try to negotiate like a rat with Castex, against the Coordination of Journalists, to appear as saviors! YOU @cdeloire of your dead
– Gaspard Glanz (@GaspardGlanz) November 25, 2020
Gaspard Glanz further believes that RSF is negotiating “to get the angry Reporters collective, the Human Rights League and others out of the meeting with the Prime Minister”. “But who are you to do that ?!” he exclaims, reproaching RSF for never having provided support to a journalist reporting images in custody. “You sell fucking calendars and that’s ALL!” He says.
For his part, Taha Bouhafs affirms that RSF is “an integral part of the power in place”, noting that “the government wants to impose RSF as an interlocutor on the global security law in order to control a false opposition, controlled and docile”. “Let’s refuse this masquerade,” he said on Twitter.
RSF is an integral part of the power in place.
the government wants to impose RSF as an interlocutor on the global security law in order to control a false opposition, controlled and docile.
Let us refuse this masquerade.
– Taha Bouhafs 🔻 (@T_Bouhafs) November 25, 2020
Taha Bouhafs therefore judges that RSF is playing a double game, considering that the organization did not revolt from the outset against the text of the law and in particular the controversial article 24 on the dissemination of images of police officers which crystallizes criticism.
.@GaspardGlanz asserts against all truth that the majority of @RSF_inter comes from the “French State”. However, French public subsidies correspond to less than 15% of the organization’s budget.
– RSF in French (@RSF_fr) November 25, 2020
Faced with these accusations, RSF warns: “The significant mobilization against article 24 [du projet de loi sur la “sécurité globale”] must not be confiscated by those who threaten and insult when our public freedoms are at stake. As for our actions, they speak for themselves. “
The significant mobilization against article 24 of the #PPLGlobalSecurity must not be confiscated by those who threaten and insult when our public freedoms are at stake. As for our actions, they speak for themselves.
– RSF in French (@RSF_fr) November 25, 2020
RSF recalls, among other things, its numerous denunciations of “police violence” against journalists during demonstrations. And the association to declare that it fights the “dangerous text” concerning global security, and always calls for “its withdrawal”.
On November 23, the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin received nine associations, unions or organizations of journalists, including Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the National Union of Journalists (SNJ) to particularly discuss sensitive articles (such as the 21, 22 and 24) of the Global Security bill, considered by journalists’ organizations as an attack on press freedom. Taha Bouhafs was part of this meeting which was not productive.
Emmanuel Poupard of the SNJ considered that the Minister of the Interior sought to “lull” journalists. The collectives of journalists and associations for the defense of human rights have therefore solicited a meeting with the Prime Minister.
Meanwhile, if the National Assembly gave the green light to the text of the law, in a solemn vote, by a very large majority, Jean Castex has already announced that he would seize the Constitutional Council concerning Article 24 of the law, which penalizes in particular the malicious dissemination of images of police officers.