A petition calling for the closure of news channel CNews exceeds 500,000 signatures on the National Assembly website, reaching the threshold for a possible debate

To achieve this, however, a committee must first issue a ruling by deciding whether to archive it or examine it, thereby drafting this report.

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A petition on the National Assembly website calling to "remove CNews from French broadcasting" gathered more than 500,000 signatures on Monday, November 2. According to the Assembly's rules of procedure, a debate in the hemicycle can be organized on a report relating to a petition exceeding this threshold. To achieve this, however, a committee must first issue a ruling by deciding whether to archive it or examine it, thereby drafting this report.

Alexandre Portier, chairman of the Assembly's Cultural Affairs and Education Committee, told franceinfo that he convened a bureau meeting for Tuesday at 2:15 p.m. to discuss the follow-up to this petition. Organizing a debate once this threshold is passed is not automatic. A previous petition against the law on the presumption of legitimate use of weapons by law enforcement had similarly far exceeded the 500,000-signature mark, but was archived by MPs on the Laws Committee in July.

The text refers to a "propaganda machine"

"We will not comment on this political petition," responded CNews when contacted by AFP. This new petition, submitted on the National Assembly's website in June, has experienced a resurgence in popularity since late October, alongside fresh criticism against the channel following the racist attack committed in Trappes and La Verrière on October 23. A section of the left, such as the mayor of Trappes, Ali Rabeh, accused the media, particularly CNews, of bearing responsibility in this attack by giving excessive airtime to rhetoric stigmatizing immigrants or people of immigrant background.

The text calling to "remove CNews from French broadcasting" demands the revocation of its DTT frequency and its closure. Describing CNews as a "propaganda machine," it lists a series of sanctions that have already targeted the 24-hour news channel owned by Vincent Bolloré's group, as well as recent segments, notably racist remarks regarding the mayor of Saint-Denis (Seine-Saint-Denis) Bally Bagayoko, which led to an investigation being opened.

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