French foreign minister faces criminal complaint over misquoting Francesca Albanese
French Foreign Minister Faces Criminal Complaint Over Misquotation of UN Rapporteur
A coalition of French legal professionals has submitted a legal notice to the Paris public prosecutor, accusing the nation’s top diplomat of spreading misleading information regarding Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on Palestine.
The Association of Lawyers for the Respect of International Law (Jurdi) stated on Thursday that it initiated formal proceedings following remarks by Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot. Barrot had called for Albanese’s resignation earlier in the week, citing a misrepresentation of her speech delivered remotely in Doha on 7 February.
Barrot’s comments were prompted by a question from Renaissance representative Caroline Yadan. Yadan had earlier incorrectly claimed Albanese referred to Israel as the “common enemy of humanity” during a virtual address at the Al Jazeera Forum in Qatar’s capital.
Albanese used the term “common enemy” twice in her February and December speeches at the Doha Forum. In her February address, she stated:
“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.”
The December speech included similar phrasing, emphasizing how political, military, and economic forces have enabled Israel’s genocidal conflict in Gaza.
Jurdi highlighted that Barrot’s February 11 remarks to parliament raised concerns about “the deliberate spread of demonstrably false information by public authorities.” Barrot portrayed Albanese as a “political activist inciting hate speech” and pledged to push for her resignation at the upcoming UN Human Rights Council meeting.
Albanese has faced similar calls for resignation from German and Italian foreign ministers over the same misinterpretation. She recently posted on X, saying:
“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.”
This refers to the Israeli military’s casualties in Gaza since October 2023.
Jurdi argues that Barrot misrepresented Albanese’s remarks by isolating them from their broader context. The organization noted that a review of her full speech reveals she never identified Israel as a “common enemy of humanity,” but rather used the phrase to critique a system where politics serves economic interests.
The legal group added that the misquoted statements were part of a wider examination of alleged international law breaches in Gaza, aligned with Albanese’s UN responsibilities. Jurdi pointed out that pro-Israel group UN Watch had shared abbreviated excerpts of her remarks on social media, creating a “distorted interpretation” that influenced public figures like Yadan.
Under French law, knowingly spreading false information in a manner that disrupts public order can lead to criminal charges. Jurdi informed prosecutors that Barrot’s characterization of Albanese’s comments may constitute an intentional misrepresentation, as the minister attributed statements she neither made nor endorsed to the UN expert.
