French Public Media Welcomes Sansal in a Move Aimed at Algeria

English French Public Media Welcomes Sansal in a Move Aimed at Algeria Mohamed Moslem/English version: Dalila Henache  2026/04/18 4 0 The French public media landscape has undergone a notable transformation in its approach to Algeria, its symbols, and its interests since Pope Leo XIV’s visit last week.  This visit marked the end of a period of tacit calm that had persisted for several weeks. The case of Boualem Sansal, pardoned in exchange for undisclosed guarantees, has become a strategic instrument for pursuing objectives now evident to observers. Aside from the French private media, which is dominated by right-wing and far-right circles, targeting Algeria has become central to their agenda. What is striking now is the involvement of long-established public institutions, which previously maintained a reasonable level of professional ethics. Examples include the parliamentary television channel LCP, the public channel TV5 Monde, and, to a lesser extent, France TV. Over the past four days and in recent interviews on the parliamentary channel and TV5 Monde, Boualem Sansal appeared to settle scores with Algerian authorities over his imprisonment. He was sentenced nearly a year ago to five years for harming national unity and state symbols, a conviction confirmed by a final court ruling. Boualem Sansal’s resurgence in French public media, where he spread his controversial ideas, coincided with the exposure of his blatant opportunism. This opportunism was evident in his sudden and unethical shift from Gallimard, the publishing house that had a contract with him and had supported his work, to Grasset, which is owned by the far-right businessman Vincent Bolloré. Many French elites found this move scandalous, describing it as a betrayal of trust and integrity, motivated by a pursuit of wealth in exchange for fulfilling a role assigned to him by French lobbies that are hostile to Algeria. The recent...