The controversy surrounding a video montage featuring former LR MP Meyer Habib and members of La France insoumise has sparked heated debates. The video, which has been widely circulated, involves a clip from the video game League of Legends with faces of political figures superimposed on the characters. Among those depicted are deputies Sébastien Delogu, Louis Boyard, Mathilde Panot, and Rima Hassan fighting against figures like National Rally leader Jordan Bardella, President Emmanuel Macron, and Meyer Habib.
One particular element in the video has drawn significant ire: a box of Buitoni brand pizza labeled 'Stone oven.' Some internet users have interpreted this as an anti-Semitic reference to crematoria used during the Holocaust, targeting the Franco-Israeli MP Meyer Habib. This interpretation has been vehemently criticized by Habib, who announced his intention to file a complaint, and by LR president Éric Ciotti, who compared the caricature to anti-Semitic depictions of Jews in the 1930s.
Sébastien Delogu, who shared the video on his social media, edited the clip to replace the original pizza box with one labeled 'Pizza Kebab' before eventually removing the video entirely. Delogu denies any anti-Semitic intent, suggesting the pizza box might reference pizzas brought during negotiations for the union of the left for the legislative elections.
Meyer Habib has also pointed out that he is depicted being attacked and defeated by Franco-Palestinian MEP Rima Hassan in the video, who has been accused of anti-Semitism in recent months. Habib has described the video as an 'anti-Semitic video montage' and accused far-left parties of using anti-Semitism as their 'electoral fuel.'
The controversy comes in the wake of another incident involving Sébastien Delogu, who was temporarily excluded from the National Assembly for waving a Palestinian flag in the hemicycle. Delogu has claimed that he is being targeted by the extreme right and has dismissed the accusations against him as attempts to discredit him.
- Sébastien Delogu, after the controversy, stated that the presence of the pizza box in the video could be a reference to the pizzas brought during the negotiations for the union of the left. He also suggested that the original video creator might have intended to conceal a weapon with the pizza box.
- The video controversy has added to the already tense political atmosphere, with accusations of anti-Semitism and political manipulation flying between parties. Meyer Habib has vowed to continue his campaign with 'dignity and justice,' urging his supporters to vote in the upcoming legislative elections.
