Presidential 2022: in the south of France, Eric Zemmour launches his campaign without saying it

“The presidential! Let’s not dodge the subject… ” And yet, Eric Zemmour plays, again and again, a double game. On the platform of the Palais des Congrès in Nice, Saturday, September 18, he warns 1,200 fiery supporters that he will not declare himself a candidate that evening. What’s the point ? Everything is there, in front of their eyes. The ex-CNews star has just entered, an hour late, followed by a swarm of cameras and lights worthy of a political party champion. He climbed a guard of honor formed by his militants, in the midst of energetic “Zemmour president! “, launched by strategically placed room drivers.

Article reserved for our subscribers Read also CNews replaces Eric Zemmour with several ultra-conservative columnists

A few moments before, the radical essayist had thanked, behind the scenes, the members of the association Les Amis d’Eric Zemmour and the young people of Generation Z. His supporters walk around with his book under his arm, sold 500 copies in one evening, or stickers “I vote Zemmour in 2022”. The Nice meeting, at a cost of 9,980 euros according to its team, takes this campaign, which does not speak its name, up a notch, after a first stage in Toulon the day before, during a “conference” that looks like a meeting. literary.

An activist holds Eric Zemmour's book during the meeting at the Palais des Congrès in Nice, September 18, 2021.

“I have always been in politics”, justified the polemicist for two days, by crouching in a chiaroscuro that he calls “Intimate bond” between journalism, politics and literature. An indefinite position which he takes advantage of to place himself in overhang of journalists, whom he takes to task throughout his speeches, and of his competitors from whom he seeks to distinguish himself. ” All the same ! Journalists are like politicians, they have their own language ”, he mocked in Nice, to laughter.

Article reserved for our subscribers Read also Daily interviews, “literary” tour… Eric Zemmour in the pre-campaign

His inner circle assumes to be inspired by presidential campaigns. “We’re going to disrupt all this mess!” ignites Olivier Ubeda, euphoric, communicator having worked for the meetings of Nicolas Sarkozy in 2007 and hired by Eric Zemmour for 500 euros gross per hour. This craze, this horde, all that, I haven’t seen that since Sarko! “ The entourage also refers to the campaign of Emmanuel Macron: late declaration, account of a call from the base, solutions drawn from” a diagnosis “… Even if, in the end, Donald Trump appears to be the real inspirer of Zemmour, inclined to mock “Biden, the hero of journalists”.

Some 1,200 supporters came to attend Eric Zemmour's meeting at the Palais des Congrès in Nice on September 18, 2021.

“Islam is the greatest danger”

You have 52.56% of this article to read. The rest is for subscribers only.

www.lemonde.fr

Leave a Comment