Anti-Arab racism: Aphatie denounces the business of hatred and the hypocrisy of the media

ByMuhammad

Anti-Arab racism has become a product of appeal for certain media, according to Jean-Michel Aphatie.

WHY READ:

  • Aphatie denounces the hypocrisy of the media in the face of hatred.

  • Analysis of the normalization of racism in media discourse.

  • Reflection on the responsibility of the media in the propagation of hatred.

Have anti-Arab racism and Islamophobia become flagship products for certain television channels? This is the particularly serious accusation made by Jean-Michel Aphatie on the set of Dailyafter a racist sequence broadcast on BFMTV. The journalist denounces a mechanism that is as cynical as it is lucrative: anti-Arab provocations attract part of the public, increase audiences and, with them, advertising revenue. In other words, hatred of Arabs and Muslims has become a business. And some media would have no qualms about exploiting it.

“Anti-Arab smut pleases listeners. » Aphatie claims to have observed this logic himself in the radio stations where he worked. Éric Zemmour would have been requested there precisely for his provocations. His verdict can be summed up in one word: “Lousy. » But the real scandal goes far beyond Zemmour. It concerns the media managements which continue to roll out the red carpet for him, even though the former polemicist has accumulated legal convictions for his racist remarks.

The facts are overwhelming. On September 16, 2025, the Court of Cassation made final his conviction of 15,000 euros fine for provoking racial hatred and racist insults. In December 2025, another conviction became final for his comments targeting unaccompanied minors.

And yet, he is always invited, always exposed, always presented as a legitimate interlocutor. How many more convictions will it take for certain newsrooms to stop treating racism as simple television entertainment? This is the double standard in all its hypocrisy: a facade of indignation against racism, but a revolting complacency when the targets are Arab or Muslim.

We are bombarded with great speeches on republican values, the fight against discrimination and living together. But when it comes to anti-Arab racism or Islamophobia, some platforms suddenly seem to consider that anything goes. Humiliation becomes a debate, stigmatization an opinion and hatred a source of audience.

By trivializing these speeches, certain media no longer content themselves with covering racism: they participate in its normalization. Freedom of expression cannot serve as an alibi for this hypocrisy. Inviting, re-inviting, publicizing and offering a platform to personalities who have repeatedly been convicted of racist remarks are perfectly assumed editorial choices. And we must stop taking viewers for imbeciles: it is not inevitable, it is not clumsiness, it is not simply pluralism. It is an editorial policy for which those responsible must be held accountable. When racist provocations become a profitable spectacle, the problem is no longer only who utters them. He is also one of those who hand him the microphone, again and again.

Jean-Michel Aphatie found the right word: pathetic. But this media complacency is above all a shame. A shame for those who practice it, for those who support it and for those who modestly look away.

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Muhammad

Muhammad is a visionary thinker and passionate writer who has been contributing to Understanding Islam for several years.