Abel Mestre
Abel Mestre | |
|---|---|
.jpeg) Abel Mestre | |
| Born | 7 February 1985 Paris, France |
| Occupation | Journalist |
Abel Mestre (born 7 February 1980[1] in Paris) is a French journalist. He has worked for Le Monde since 2006 and, as of fall 2023, is responsible for covering justice-related topics.
Political involvement
[edit]Upon entering Assas in 1999, he became active in Pour un syndicalisme autogestionnaire – UNEF-ID. After the unification of UNEF, he continued his activism and in 2005 became a delegate to the national bureau representing the group Démocratie étudiante pour une majorité d'orientation syndicale (DEMOS). In his articles for La Riposte, the journal of the International Marxist Tendency, he identifies as a member of the French Communist Party. In 2002, alongside Roland Castro, Gaspard Delanoë, Ahmed Meguini, and Éric Halphen, he co-founded the Mouvement de l’utopie concrète and became responsible for its Secularism Commission.[2]
Covering the Far Right (2008–2015)
[edit]From 2008 to 2015, Mestre covered far-right movements for Le Monde and co-founded the blog Droite(s) Extrême(s) with Caroline Monnot in November 2009. During this period, he experienced threats and pressure, including an incident on May 1, 2013, when his home address was printed on stickers placed near a National Front rally. In 2011, Mestre and Monnot published an investigation into the networks surrounding the National Front (FN), exposing the influence of far-right radicals within Marine Le Pen’s circle. The book was praised by Libération for revealing how Le Pen's political rebranding concealed ties to more extreme elements.[3][4]
Mestre also reported threats he received from Axel Loustau, a close associate of Le Pen, during a radical far-right demonstration on May 9, 2010. Both Mestre and Caroline Fourest were targeted in 2013, with their personal information shared via stickers during an FN rally. Le Monde strongly condemned these threats, and the newspaper's management called on FN leaders to denounce such intimidation tactics.[5][6]
Throughout his career, Mestre has filed multiple complaints related to threats he received while covering the far-right, though none of the cases led to prosecution.[7]
In September 2023, Mestre took on the role of covering justice. Notably, he interviewed Justice Minister Éric Dupond-Moretti ahead of his trial before the Court of Justice of the Republic.[8]
Book
[edit]With Caroline Monnot, he co-authored Le Système Le Pen: enquête sur les réseaux du Front national (Paris, Denoël, 2011).[9]
References
[edit]- ^ Biographie Abel Mestre, Podcasts français
- ^ "De l'Oeuvre Française au FN : Plongée sous Marine avec Abel Mestre".
- ^ "Le "nouveau FN" de Marine le Pen". 6 September 2011.
- ^ "Toilettage et ravaudage chez Marine le Pen".
- ^ "Un journaliste mis en placard près du défilé du FN".
- ^ "La difficile mission des journalistes politiques face au traitement médiatique du Front national". 29 June 2015.
- ^ "Pierre Plottu et Maxime Macé : Deux journalistes menacés par l'extrême-droite". 22 June 2022.
- ^ "Eric Dupond-Moretti, un ministre qui défend « sa place » à la veille de son procès devant la Cour de justice de la République". 5 November 2023.
- ^ "Toilettage et ravaudage chez Marine le Pen".
External links
[edit]| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
