In recent days, Instagram launched a vast banning operation in France against accounts belonging to right-wing organisations or commentators. MEP Marion Maréchal decided to appeal to the management of Instagram France to express her disapproval and condemn the arbitrary nature of these account closures.
They were notified of the decision on Wednesday, August 21st. Several commentators and influential figures on the French right have had their Instagram accounts censored on the grounds that they did not comply with community standards, even though these accounts had not committed any legal offence. It is not only individuals identified as activists or whistleblowers on the national Right who have been targeted but also ordinary journalists, such as Jordan Florentin, a journalist from Boulevard Voltaire; trade unions, such as the student union La Cocarde étudiante; and even media outlets, such as our colleagues from Frontières (formerly Livre Noir).
Erik Tegnér, editor-in-chief of Frontières magazine, pointed out on CNews that his media is approved by the French Ministry of Culture and has never published any contentious content. This did not stop Instagram from deleting the newspaper’s account four times in the space of a few days. Tegnér announced that he would not hesitate to take legal action if the deletion of Frontières’ account is confirmed.
Marion Maréchal, a member of the European Parliament elected in June and former head of the list for Éric Zemmour’s Reconquête party, questioned Laurent Solly, head of the Meta group in France, about these untimely closures. “This is a clear case of arbitrary political censorship, in the face of which we cannot remain silent or passive,” she posted on X on August 23rd. Determined to strike a blow, Maréchal requested “a meeting” with the Southern European vice-president of the U.S. group Meta, as well as France’s Secretary of State for Digital Affairs Marina Ferrari, and the European Commissioner for Digital Affairs Thierry Breton.
According to the Journal du Dimanche, Laurent Solly had an initial discussion with the MEP and asked his teams to check the situation of the incriminated accounts. A meeting is said to be scheduled in the next few days.
Following Marion Maréchal’s initiative, Rassemblement National (RN) MP Matthias Renault also sent a letter to Laurent Solly.
Jean-Yves Le Gallou, President of Polémia and co-founder of the Iliade Institute, points out that Laurent Solly is married to Caroline Roux, a political journalist who regularly appears on state media. On X, Gallou denounced a dangerous mix of personalities who are clearly detrimental to right-wing ideas.
