Ms. Laure BECCUAU, Public Prosecutor of Paris, Paris Judicial Court, Parvis Robert Badinter, 75859 Paris Cedex 17, Paris, February 12, 2026
Subject: Reporting an offense of spreading false news – Statements fraudulently attributed to Ms. Francesca Albanese
Madam Prosecutor, On February 10, 2026, several members of the Renaissance parliamentary group sent a letter (attached document 1) to Mr. Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs. In it, they denounce the fact that, during an interview given at a forum organized in Doha on February 7 by Al Jazeera, Ms. Francesca Albanese, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian Territories, allegedly described Israel as "’ common enemy humanity. »
However, simply watching the interview given by Ms. Albanese shows that she never uttered that phrase, as reported by the fact-checking departments of several news outlets. Here is the faithful transcript of the exact words spoken by Ms. Albanese, which have nothing to do with those attributed to her:
« The fact that instead of stopping Israel, most countries in the world armed it, providing it with Political apologies, political support, financial and economic support – that's a challenge. The fact that most media outlets in the Western world amplify pro- Apartheid, the genocidal narrative, is a challenge. And at the same time, it is also an opportunity. For while international law has been stabbed in the heart, it is also true that never Previously, the international community had not experienced the challenges we are all facing. Faced with this, we who do not control significant financial capital, nor algorithms, nor of weapons. We now see that humanity has a common enemy, and that respect for Fundamental freedoms is the last peaceful path, the last peaceful tool we have left. we have what it takes to regain our freedom. »"It is obvious that at no point is Israel designated as a common enemy of humanity.
It is important to clarify that the Renaissance MPs sent their letter to the Minister after several accounts on social media, specifically the X network, began disseminating the false information on February 8th. This was notably the case for the accounts of Ms. Caroline Yadan, the letter's first signatory (Attachment 2), and Ms. Shannon Seban (Attachment 3). Their posts relied on partial excerpts from Ms. Albenese's interview, which had been circulated on social media on February 8th by the organization UN Watch, headed by Mr. Hillel Neuer. These excerpts were truncated, failing to provide the context or the full content of the interview. Despite the subsequent posting of the complete video of the interview on February 9th on Ms. Francesca Albenese's account (Exhibit 4), which both Ms. Yadan and Ms. Seban were aware of (Attachments 5 and 6), they persisted in spreading their misleading claims.
As a reminder, Article 27 of the Law of 29 July 1881 on the Freedom of the Press stipulates that "« there publication, dissemination or reproduction, by any means whatsoever, of new false, of manufactured, falsified or falsely attributed parts to third parties when, done In bad faith, she will have disturbed the public peace, or will have been likely to disturb it., will be punished with a fine of 45,000 euros. »
It appears that all the constituent elements of this offense are present in this case, since:
(1) It is established that the statements attributed to her by the MPs who signed this disputed letter were never made by Ms. Albanese. Consultation of the original interview makes it possible to note without ambiguity the non-existence of the statements attributed to her, which are pure fabrications, constituting false news within the meaning of criminal law; ;
(2) The dissemination of this false news, concerning a subject of such diplomatic and geopolitical sensitivity, and targeting a prominent figure already exposed to numerous threats, is clearly likely to cause significant disruption to public order. This risk materialized when, on February 11, the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs publicly called, from the rostrum of the National Assembly, for the resignation of Ms. Albanese, expressly relying on this false information, thus contributing to its dissemination and institutional amplification; ;
(3) It is inconceivable that the Members of Parliament who signed this letter, alerted to the fabricated nature of the statements attributed to Ms. Albanese since at least February 9, and bound as parliamentarians by a duty of exemplary conduct, prudence, and rigor, would not have taken the precaution of viewing the controversial interview before sending their letter to the Minister. They could not have been unaware of the manifest inaccuracy of the facts they denounced, and their bad faith is therefore fully established. It is thus possible to identify a deliberate intention to disseminate information that they knew or could not have been unaware of was false, thereby establishing the intentional element of the offense. The same applies to the other organizations and individuals, including UN Watch and Ms. Shannon Seban, who knowingly spread the falsehood. JURDI insists that the dissemination of this fake news is clearly part of a single purpose: to silence those who denounce the international crimes committed in Gaza and the West Bank, even if it means attributing fallacious statements to them in order to unjustly tarnish their reputation.
JURDI also notes that this dissemination takes place in a context of extreme tensions and a resurgence of hate speech, in which the attribution of such remarks is likely to fuel feelings of hostility and stigmatization, directly exposing the targeted person to an increased risk of harm, which further aggravates the scope and dangerousness of the disseminated false news, as well as the risk of public disorder.
Such a practice, which constitutes an offense and therefore falls within your jurisdiction, is both detrimental to public debate and dangerous for those defamed. It is therefore particularly important that you follow up on this report.
JURDI is naturally available to discuss this topic further.
The President
Patrick ZAHND
