YOUCEF BENZATAT, MEDIAPART - OUSTED TROLL OF THE MONTH APRIL

The Troll of the Month is an episode we choose every month to expose racist and anti-religious haters and to show the positive outcomes in the fight against intolerance in Europe.

French online newspaper ‘Médiapart’ has deleted a violent antisemitic blog post, after GTTO partner Licra complained on Twitter.

On 12 April 2018, the online newspaper ‘Médiapart’ published an article by Youcef Benzatat titled ‘Vampires do not feed on their own blood’. The vampire in the article refers to Bernard-Henry Lévy, French public intellectual, media personality, and author. The comparison of Bernard-Henry Lévy to a vampire is an old fashioned antisemitic stereotype. 

The article was posted on the blogs' club of the online newspaper ‘Mediapart’, after being posted on the online newspaper ‘Algérie patriotique’ – an opposition newspaper in Algeria.

One quote from the article: "Bernard-Henri Lévy has just popped out of his hole as a bloodthirsty vampire, with his hooked teeth and his cadaver-like face."

Licra, International League against Racism and Antisemitism, messaged ‘Mediapart’ on Twitter asking the publication to remove its antisemitic article and they duly did so.

From the pages of ‘Algérie patriotique’, the author of the article, Youcef Benzatat, does not appear regretful. He commented the removal of the article as an act of submission to the Zionist colonialist lobby of CRIF (Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France) and Licra.