Radio France strike stops Charles Sapin column

Radio France staff began a two-day strike on Sunday over the appointment of Charles Sapin, stopping the weekly political column he was due to present on France Inter.

Sapin, deputy editor-in-chief at Valeurs Actuelles, has presented a weekly political commentary segment on France Inter since late August. Unions accuse him of promoting far-right ideas and say the magazine's editorial values conflict with Radio France's public service mandate.

Radio France management has defended the appointment as part of pluralism before France's April-May presidential election to choose a successor to President Emmanuel Macron. France Inter director Celine Pigalle said on air on Thursday that pluralism was “fundamental” for a public radio station and said she believed she could trust Sapin not to put the station's airwaves at risk.

Sapin's column, scheduled for early Sunday, was not broadcast. Other parts of France Inter's morning programme were replaced with music, while morning programmes on franceinfo and France Culture went ahead as normal.

In Le Parisien on Saturday, around 300 public figures including filmmakers, writers and lawyers called Sapin's recruitment “outrageous” and said he should lose the commentary slot. Signatories included actress Julie Gayet and Nobel Prize-winning author Annie Ernaux.

Valeurs Actuelles describes itself as conservative. The magazine has faced legal controversies, including convictions for racial public insults. In early September, hard-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon described Sapin's appointment as a “takeover by fascists.”