Zemmour says his convicted remarks are not racism and vows to abolish the law used against him
Éric ZemmourPresident of Reconquête and presidential candidate, interviewed on TF1's Le 20H
Asked on TF1's evening news about his convictions, Zemmour says he is the victim of judicial harassment and has committed an opinion offense. After anchor Gilles Bouleau replies that racism is not an opinion, Zemmour says his remarks are not racism and that, as president, he would abolish the law judges apply to convict him.
Responding to
Éric Zemmour's convictions for racial insult and incitement to hatred are for opinion offenses, not racism, under a law that lets judges restrict freedom of expression.
“I am the victim of judicial harassment ... This is not racism, it has nothing to do with it. That is how judges interpret a freedom-killing law that I will abolish if I am president, because it allows judges to ban freedom of expression (Translated from French. Original: Je suis victime d'un harcèlement judiciaire ... Ce n'est pas du racisme, ça n'a rien à voir. Les juges interprètent ainsi une loi liberticide que j'abolirai si je suis président, parce que ça permet aux juges d'interdire la liberté d'expression)”
Original post
Original post
Reporting
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Éric Zemmour calls his convictions for racial insult and incitement to hatred opinion offenses; TF1 anchor replies that racism is not an opinion
On November 10, 2026, Éric Zemmour, president of the far-right party Reconquête, announced his second presidential run on TF1's evening news. Anchor Gilles Bouleau told him he had been definitively convicted four times since 2022 for offenses with a racial dimension, including racist insult and incitement to hatred, and asked how he could reconcile the French on that basis. Zemmour said he was the victim of judicial harassment, citing about 40 proceedings and 30 acquittals in 10 years, and said he had committed an opinion offense. Bouleau replied that racism is not an opinion. Zemmour answered that his remarks were not racism and that judges were applying a law that lets them restrict free expression, a law he said he would abolish as president. Bouleau then cited a remark for which Zemmour was convicted, that Muslims consider jihadists to be good Muslims; Zemmour replied that jihad is in the Quran and that the remark has nothing racist about it. Communist candidate Fabien Roussel, posting as Zemmour announced his run, called for politicians convicted of racism to be made ineligible. The next morning, SOS Racisme president Dominique Sopo said on RTL that Zemmour's candidacy poses a republican problem.
Source and context
Original post
About this source
TF1's news account posts a video excerpt of the November 10 evening news interview in which anchor Gilles Bouleau asks Éric Zemmour about his convictions, with TF1's French transcription of the exchange.
Original post
About this source
Zemmour's post on X after his TF1 interview. He says he has faced about 40 proceedings, has been acquitted 30 times in 10 years and is prosecuted for an opinion offense under a law he would abolish as president.
Reporting
About this source
AFP reports, in French, Zemmour's candidacy announcement on TF1, his description of his convictions as opinion offenses and judicial harassment, the broadcasting regulator's recent referral of his remarks to the judicial authorities, and Fabien Roussel's reaction.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Reporting
About this source
The Swiss daily 20 minutes reports, in French, the exchange between Gilles Bouleau and Éric Zemmour on TF1 and quotes both men.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Bouleau opens the interview by saying Zemmour has been definitively convicted four times since 2022 for offenses with a racial dimension and asks how he can reconcile the French on that basis. Zemmour says he has also been acquitted many times and cites about 40 proceedings in a few years. After Bouleau calls the convictions the application of the law, Zemmour says he has not stolen from anyone or diverted public money and has committed an opinion offense, and Bouleau replies that racism is not an opinion.
After the quotation
Bouleau then asks whether saying that Muslims consider jihadists to be good Muslims is not racist, noting that Zemmour was convicted for that remark. Zemmour says Muslims are not a race, that jihad is in the Quran and that the remark has nothing racist about it.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is the remarks for which French courts have definitively convicted Éric Zemmour of racial insult and incitement to hatred. Zemmour says the remarks are not racism, calls his convictions an opinion offense and pledges to abolish the law under which judges punished them. Because he goes beyond rejecting the racism label and presents the remarks as acceptable speech that the law should not punish, this is a defense of the remarks rather than only a dispute over how they are described.
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- Gilles Bouleau
More from this case
Read the full caseSOS Racisme's Dominique Sopo says Zemmour may have blood on his conscience
“These remarks give license to extremely serious acts. ... I am not saying that Éric Zemmour has blood on his hands: I am saying that he may have it on his conscience, if he has one (Translated from French. Original: Ces propos autorisent des passages à l'acte extrêmement graves. ... Je ne dis pas qu'Éric Zemmour a du sang sur les mains : je dis qu'il en a peut-être sur la conscience, si tant est qu'il en ait une)”Read statement
Fabien Roussel says politicians convicted of racism should be ineligible as Zemmour runs
“Éric Zemmour wants to preside over the Republic after being convicted several times for racist remarks. I have been saying it for a long time: politicians convicted of racism should be made ineligible. (Translated from French. Original: Éric Zemmour veut présider la République après avoir été condamné à plusieurs reprises pour propos racistes. Je le dis depuis longtemps : les responsables politiques condamnés pour racisme devraient être rendus inéligibles.)”Read statement
TF1 anchor Gilles Bouleau tells Zemmour that racism is not an opinion
“It is the application of the law ... you committed punishable offenses ... Racism is not an opinion. (Translated from French. Original: C'est l'application du droit ... vous avez commis des délits répréhensibles ... Le racisme n'est pas une opinion.)”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Zemmour says his convicted remarks are not racism and vows to abolish the law used against him". First published: 2026-11-12. Last updated: 2026-11-12. https://disputeindex.com/events/8663-asked-on-tf1-s-evening-news-about-his