The importance of journalism in this era of Trumpian chaos

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 © Photo Tom Brenner / The New York Times via REA © Photo Tom Brenner / The New York Times via REA

Donald Trump considers them the “enemies of the people.” As journalists in the United States worry about their future, a key question arises: what is the role of the media? In this op-ed article in the wake of Trump's win, publishing editor Carine Fouteau explains Mediapart's journalistic mission, which she says is based on corroborated, verified and well-documented facts published in the interest of citizens.

The reasons why Marine Le Pen could be banned from seeking the presidency – but stay on as an MP

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 © Photomontage Armel Baudet / Mediapart avec AFP © Photomontage Armel Baudet / Mediapart avec AFP

A demand from the Paris public prosecutor that far-right leader Marine Le Pen should be banned from standing for public office for five years has sparked widespread political debate. The call by the prosecution - during a trial in which the former presidential candidate and some of her party's officials face allegations over the misappropriation of European Parliament funds - has also led to intense legal discussion about the true impact this punishment might have on the far-right leader. Under current law it seems that any such ban would bar her from standing at the 2027 presidential election; but that she could continue to serve as a Member of Parliament. Fabrice Arfi and Michel Deléan explain.

Why France's former spy chief is on trial over 'espionage' work for LVMH boss Bernard Arnault

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Bernard Squarcini and Bernard Arnault. © Photomontage Armel Baudet / Mediapart avec AFP et Abaca Bernard Squarcini and Bernard Arnault. © Photomontage Armel Baudet / Mediapart avec AFP et Abaca

The former head of France's domestic intelligence service, Bernard Squarcini, has gone on trial at a Paris court this week. The ex-spy chief, who served under President Nicolas Sarkozy, and his alleged accomplices within the state are suspected of having committed a variety of offences to help French billionaire Bernard Arnault’s multinational company LVMH. Fabrice Arfi reports on the issues at stake in the case.

How Paris is turning a blind eye to risks posed by French version of Elon Musk

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Elon Musk and France's Vincent Bolloré. © Photo illustration Sébastien Calvet / Mediapart avec Abaca et AFP Elon Musk and France's Vincent Bolloré. © Photo illustration Sébastien Calvet / Mediapart avec Abaca et AFP

The French authorities have been critical of the role that tech billionaire Elon Musk played in Donald Trump’s presidential election campaign. Yet those same authorities remain oddly passive in the face of the media offensive led in France by billionaire Vincent Bolloré. As Antton Rouget reports, this is despite the fact that this summer's parliamentary elections in France, plus the funding of far-right politician Jordan Bardella's recent book, show that the regulatory system here is now outdated.

The Thiaroye massacre: eighty years on the fight for justice continues

By Clair Rivière
Biram Senghor, pictured in his home village of Diakhao, in western Senegal. © Photo Clair Rivière pour Mediapart Biram Senghor, pictured in his home village of Diakhao, in western Senegal. © Photo Clair Rivière pour Mediapart

The exact number of “tirailleurs” – the infantrymen from France’s sub-Saharan colonies – who died alongside Mbap Senghor when the French army turned on its own on December 1st 1944 at the military camp of Thiaroye in Senegal is still unknown. Some historians estimate the toll at between 300 and 400 men, all of whom had fought for France in WWII. They were gunned down for protesting, in what the French authorities misleadingly described as an “armed mutiny”, over backpay they were promised but never received. Clair Rivière reports on the long fight for justice by Mbap Senghor’s son Biram, now aged 86 and who is still waiting.

French writer Caroline Fourest sued for libel over book critical of #MeToo movement

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 © Photo Magali Cohen / Hans Lucas via AFP © Photo Magali Cohen / Hans Lucas via AFP

The writer, journalist and broadcaster Caroline Fourest caused controversy earlier this year when she published a book called 'Le Vertige MeToo' or 'The MeToo Vertigo' about the #MeToo phenomenon. According to Mediapart's information, actor Sand Van Roy - the complainant in the sexual assault case involving filmmaker Luc Besson which was later dropped- is now suing Caroline Fourest and her publisher over that book. In particular Sand Van Roy accuses the author of having repeated 'fake news' which had already been denied several times – and without seeking her point of view first. Marine Turchi reports.

The world now has a fascistic 'madman' at its helm

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Donald Trump at his final election rally on November 5th 2024. © Doug Mills / The New York Times via REA Donald Trump at his final election rally on November 5th 2024. © Doug Mills / The New York Times via REA

Donald Trump’s election marks a victory for white supremacy in the United States. In an apocalyptic atmosphere, the repercussions of his win beyond America's borders are alarming: it will undermine democracies, women and minorities worldwide, while at the same time helping to embolden the far-right and dictators of all kinds, writes Mediapart's publishing editor Carine Fouteau in this op-ed article. All we can do, she argues, is resist – and strengthen the bulwarks of democracy.

Trump's election triumph: why the French government regards it as business as usual

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Emmanuel Macron with Donald Trump in 2019. © Photo Nicolas Kamm / AFP Emmanuel Macron with Donald Trump in 2019. © Photo Nicolas Kamm / AFP

French president Emmanuel Macron was one of the very first heads of state to congratulate the new American president after his election win. Seen from Paris, the return to power of the far-right leader does not provoke fear or any particular reaction. However, France's head of state is set to call for a “strong and united” European response to the election outcome when he attends a meeting in Hungary later this week. Mediapart's Ilyes Ramdani reports. 

How beheaded teacher’s school dealt with Islamist hate campaign

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People pay homage to Samuel Paty at the Bois-d’Aulne school in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine the day after the teacher's murder. © Photo Samuel Boivin / NurPhoto via AFP People pay homage to Samuel Paty at the Bois-d’Aulne school in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine the day after the teacher's murder. © Photo Samuel Boivin / NurPhoto via AFP

The trial of eight people accused of various roles in the October 2020 stabbing murder and beheading of school teacher Samuel Paty began this week in Paris. The killer, an 18-year-old Chechen, was shot dead by police at the scene of the attack, in the Paris suburb of Conflans-Sainte-Honorine. Paty was murdered after showing cartoons of the prophet Muhammed, published by Charlie Hebdo magazine, to a class he held on the subject of free speech. Mathilde Goanec reports here on the handling by the education authorities and Paty’s school colleagues of the 10-day period before he was attacked when the teacher was the target of mounting threats from Islamist militants and their sympathisers.

The alarming side effects of Parkinson's drugs

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 © Photo illustration Sébastien Calvet / Mediapart © Photo illustration Sébastien Calvet / Mediapart

It is estimated that around 274,000 people in France suffer from Parkinson’s disease. The vast majority of them follow a treatment of dopaminergic drugs to compensate for their lack of the chemical messenger dopamine, a condition which causes many of the debilitating symptoms of the disease. But the drugs, and in particular dopamine agonists, can have alarming side effects, ranging from making compulsive purchases, daily gambling, the pursuit of sexual obsessions and, in one of the several cases detailed here, a murderous rampage against animals. As Rozenn Le Saint reports, some of the patients are unaware of the risks of the drugs, which can leave them and  their families, the collateral victims, with huge debts and psycological trauma.

Legal clouds hang over France's lucrative deals in Western Sahara

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The coast near Dakhla, in Western Sahara, where a port is to be developed with French investment. © Photo Arnaud Spani / Hemis via AFP The coast near Dakhla, in Western Sahara, where a port is to be developed with French investment. © Photo Arnaud Spani / Hemis via AFP

French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday wounded up his official visit to Morocco, in which he sealed a re-warming of relations with the kingdom after several years of tensions. One of the major factors in that process was his recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed territory of Western Sahara. Macron led a delegation of French companies on his visit, which have signed multi-billion dollar deals to invest in the territory. However, as Ilyes Ramdani reports from Rabat, there are doubts over the legality of the economic incursion into a land annexed by Morocco, but also claimed by an independence movement of the local Sahrawi people, while considered by the UN to be the last “non-self-governing” terrirory on the African continent.

Why Macron is hardening his relations with Netanyahu

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Emmanuel Macron during a fundraising conference for Lebanon, October 24th. © Photo Alain Jocard / AFP Emmanuel Macron during a fundraising conference for Lebanon, October 24th. © Photo Alain Jocard / AFP

In a riposte at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s claim that his country is waging a war of civilisations, French President Emmanuel Macron last Thursday said he was “not sure that one defends a civilisation by spreading barbarism oneself”. It was the latest example of Macron’s hardening stance towards the Israeli government, which has included his calls for sanctions on arms sales, and the strained relations with Netanyahu in particular. Ilyes Ramdani reports on the background to the French president’s shifting position over the Middle East conflict.

Israel's endless war driven by the 'reason of the strongest'

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Devastation: the Shujaiya district of Gaza City, October 7th 2024. © Photo Omar Al-Qattaa / AFP Devastation: the Shujaiya district of Gaza City, October 7th 2024. © Photo Omar Al-Qattaa / AFP

Israel does not intend to bring the war in Gaza and Lebanon to a halt with its military successes against Hamas and the Hezbollah, writes Mediapart co-founder and former publishing editor Edwy Plenel in this op-ed article. Israel’s war aim, beyond the riposte to the October 7th 2023 Hamas attacks, is to bring an end to the project for a Palestinian state, and its supporters, he argues, and everything must be done to halt this unending war.

French mayors warn ministers: budget cuts will put public services and social cohesion at risk

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French mayors Michel Fournier, Ali Rabeh, and Jeanne Barseghian. © Photomontage Mediapart avec AFP French mayors Michel Fournier, Ali Rabeh, and Jeanne Barseghian. © Photomontage Mediapart avec AFP

The new French government under prime minister Michel Barnier plans to make savings of up to 60 million euros through tax rises and spending cuts. At least five billion euros of these scheduled savings in the 2025 budget – which will be debated by MPs this week - will hit France's local authorities, to the dismay and concern of regional political leaders. Here, mayors from three very different communities all tell Mediapart of the real-life consequences that these cuts will have locally, in particular on public services and in adapting to climate change. Interviews by Ilyes Ramdani.

One French town's endless battle against the drug dealers

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Police checks in Échirolles, south-east France. © Photo Jeff Pachoud / AFP Police checks in Échirolles, south-east France. © Photo Jeff Pachoud / AFP

Last summer the town of Échirolles in south-east France witnessed a surge of violence as drug-related shootings left two people wounded. The town, which is in the suburbs of the city of Grenoble, is now trying to fight back and the mayor recently wrote to President Emanuel Macron pleading for more resources to be able to tackle the problem of drug dealing and its impact on local residents. As Yannis Angles reports from Échirolles, the town council is also taking its own initiatives, including moving people out of a building that is notorious as a hotspot for the illicit trade.