French foreign minister faces criminal complaint over misquoting Francesca Albanese
French foreign minister faces criminal complaint over misquoting Francesca Albanese
Legal action taken after minister accused UN expert of describing Israel as ‘common enemy’
A collective of French legal professionals has submitted a formal complaint to the Paris public prosecutor, alleging that the nation’s top diplomat spread inaccurate statements regarding Francesca Albanese, the United Nations’ special rapporteur on Palestine. The accusation was filed by the Association of Lawyers for the Respect of International Law (Jurdi), which highlighted the minister’s use of a misinterpreted quote from Albanese’s February 7 speech in Doha.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot had previously condemned Albanese’s remarks, claiming they targeted “Israel as a people and as a nation.” This came after Renaissance MP Caroline Yadan incorrectly attributed the phrase “common enemy of humanity” to Albanese during a virtual address at the Al Jazeera Forum in Qatar. The minister’s comments sparked a legal response from Jurdi, which pointed out the distortion of Albanese’s message.
“We now see that as a humanity, we have a common enemy and the respect of fundamental freedoms is the last peaceful avenue, the last peaceful toolbox that we have to regain our freedom,” Albanese stated in her February 7 speech.
In a December speech at the Doha Forum, Albanese elaborated on her critique of systemic forces, saying: “Palestine is allowing us to see what the law becomes when it’s in the hands of power. Palestine is allowing us to see what connects all injustices; what happens to Yemen, to Sudan, to Congo, and including in places where poverty has not been so rooted as it is today for a long time, including in the West. We have a common enemy and we need to face it, where the politics is at the service of economic interests.”
Jurdi argued that Barrot’s remarks before the National Assembly on February 11 misrepresented Albanese’s statements. The organization claimed the minister’s characterization of her speech as “hate speech” or a “targeting of Israel as a people” was based on a selective reading of her words. The group emphasized that the full context of Albanese’s remarks shows she never described Israel as the “common enemy of humanity,” but rather as part of a larger critique of political systems serving economic interests.
The legal complaint also noted that Albanese has faced similar calls for resignation from Germany and Italy’s foreign ministers over the same misinterpretation. In a social media post, she criticized the virulence with which her statements were used against her: “Three European governments accuse me – based on statements I never made – with a virulence and conviction that they have NEVER used against those who have slaughtered 20,000+ children in 858 days.”
Jurdi further noted that partial excerpts from Albanese’s speech were shared by the pro-Israel group UN Watch on social media, presented in a truncated manner. These excerpts were later amplified by public figures, leading to a “distorted interpretation.” The association stated that Barrot’s institutional framing of her remarks could qualify as criminal dissemination under French law, which allows prosecution for spreading false information in bad faith that threatens public order.
