Jean-Michel Aphatie Faces Backlash Over Comments on French Colonial History
The journalist's remarks comparing French actions in Algeria to Nazi atrocities have drawn political criticism and triggered an investigation by France's media regulator.
- Jean-Michel Aphatie stated on RTL that France committed 'hundreds of Oradour-sur-Glane' massacres in Algeria during its colonial conquest, sparking widespread reactions.
- He further claimed that 'the Nazis behaved like France did in Algeria,' prompting immediate pushback from co-hosts and political figures on the show.
- The French media regulator, Arcom, has launched an investigation following multiple complaints about Aphatie's comments, which some view as a distortion of history.
- Prominent right-wing politicians, including Jordan Bardella and Éric Ciotti, condemned Aphatie's remarks as insulting to French history and accused him of aligning with Algerian propaganda.
- Aphatie defended his statements on social media, urging critics to confront France's colonial past and asserting his independence as a journalist.
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