The key facts

  • The petition to shut down CNews gathered more than 500,000 signatures after the October 23 killing
  • The 39-year-old suspect is charged with murder and attempted murder in Trappes and La Verrière
  • Under National Assembly rules, 500,000 signatures open the possibility of a public debate in parliament

What happened

A petition demanding to 'take CNews off the air in France' has gathered more than 500,000 signatures, Deutsche Welle reports. It was launched in June, but rapidly gained support after a man of Congolese origin was killed in a racially motivated attack in a Paris suburb on October 23. The channel, dubbed 'the French version of Fox News' and criticized for its abundance of anti-immigrant rhetoric, is accused of contributing to the killing through its sensational coverage.

The killing and the link to the channel

A 39-year-old man is charged with murder and attempted murder following the incident in the towns of Trappes and La Verrière west of Paris. According to the prosecutor, he said he was 'targeting people who looked like Muslims, Africans or North Africans'. French media reported that the suspect was an avid viewer of CNews. The channel is owned by the conservative billionaire Vincent Bolloré; the petition's authors call it not a news channel but a 'propaganda machine'. CNews itself, which previously denied accusations of promoting far-right views and said it defends free speech, told the AFP agency that it would not comment on a 'political petition'.

Political context and what comes next

Critics argue that CNews broadcasts increasingly echo the lines of Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally, which leads in polls ahead of next year's presidential election; Le Pen has promised to privatize public broadcasting, which could benefit CNews. At a rally in Aubervilliers, protesters held signs reading 'CNews kills', and on October 17, during nationwide protests over the cost of living, objects were thrown at the channel's headquarters in Paris and windows were smashed. Two Green Party lawmakers called on the lower house of parliament to revoke CNews's accreditation in order to protect 'democracy' from 'racist hatred'. Earlier this year, France expelled Russian media expert Ksenia Fedorova, who was accused of spreading Kremlin propaganda on CNews. Under the rules of the National Assembly, with 500,000 signatures a public parliamentary debate may be organized, but first a committee must review the petition and decide whether the debate will take place. The channel launched in 2017 with a market share of just 1%, and last year it became France's most-watched free news channel.