“I received between 10 and 15 insults per minute”: Merwane Benlazar responds to the controversy by a sketch

The humorist chose his favorite field, the boards of a theater, in this case those of the Parisian temple of the stand-up, the European (XVIIth), to return to the tumult caused by its appearance, Friday, January 31 , in the program “C à vous”, hosted by Anne-Élisabeth Lemoine. “It created a wave of hatred. From Friday to Monday morning, I only had insults, the figure is between 10 and 15 insults or threats per minute, “he said in particular, in his first speaking for a week.

On January 31, the young comic barely 30 years old, who officiates at the microphone of France Inter since the past year, replaced Bertrand Chameroy on France 5 and signed his first television column. Jokes on football, a lot, on Manuel Valls, a little, and the canvas that ignites. Because of a sensitive joke? No, due to a beard and a cap assimilated by certain Internet users to a “Salafist look”. Many racist comments then flowered on the networks.

Old tweets (from 2013 to 2021) of the humorist, deemed tendentious, were exhumed – but not contextualized. Example: “My girl, she hits kisses to guys it can annoy me,” he wrote, a few years ago. Water in the mill of detractors who believe that it was a manifestation of radical Islam? Jokes out of context, second degree, replied the friends and the entourage of the humorist, who did not wish to seize the requests for interview at first, preferring to place his response on the field of the stage . And this despite an inflating controversy as certain elected officials, from the far right to the center, including MEP (Renew) Nathalie Loiseau, took it with noise.

“I have the head I have, it is sure that I was going to get fired”

A case that took an even more political turn when the Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, announced on Wednesday February 5 in the evening, in the Senate, that in the eyes of the “scandalous” character of publications having been uncovered, the Humorist would not return to “C to you”. “France Télévisions has drawn the consequences, it will no longer be on the screen,” she said. A sanction? Not really. According to our information, confirmed before and after the Minister’s speech, the replacement of Bertrand Chameroy by Merwane Benlazar was planned to be unique, and therefore not renewed.

An episode that the humorist obviously evokes in his sketch-response. “So you had a good week, you?” he attacks in front of the public. Me, yesterday, we read my tweets in the Senate and I was fired from my post as a TV columnist by … Rachida Dati, it’s a lot of information. I knew I was going to be fired one day, by an Arab, it’s boring, but I knew (public laughs). »

In this stand-up issue like no other, he continues the jokes by restoring his version. And vice versa. Like when he reports this moment, last Friday, when he feels his phone panic just after his column. “In general, when a column is good, there are indicators, I know, my phone vibrates a lot. But I know my talent, there, it didn’t vibrate chronicit vibrates Ursaff, third fine reminder. It was the racists. »»

On the tweets that resurfaced, he tackles these same “racists” who “found nothing”. “Suddenly, what they do when it’s like that, they take pieces of conversation and, with, they try to make things say to words drawn from their context,” he said to the public in his sketch . And to recontextualize the behind the scenes of one of the accused messages, “a joke” shared with a Twitter user who tried, in vain, to help the humorist on the networks by sweeping any accusation of misogyny, reports -he.

And the famous cup of discord? A dress opinion from his wife who had advised him not to wear a cap to hide his baldness on the air: “It is suburb. So goes for the brown cap and what they think is a “boho” look. “She said to me: At least it will silence racists. She has pif, my wife, ”narrates the humorist, also provoking the laughter of the room.

Massive support for the profession

Next step for the humorist: he will find his microphone on Motthieu Noël Matthieu Noël on Monday. Contacted, the management of Radio France referred Thursday evening to the quotes of its presenter published earlier during the day in a Mediapart article. “Merwane is with us at France Inter and will remain with us. “I want the freedom of expression of the comedians as long as it makes us laugh and he makes us laugh,” continued Matthieu Noël. But the air of time seems to be in racism and pushes a certain fringe of social networks to attack someone on the basis of shots. »»

In this article, many personalities of humor, from RTL Alex Vizorek columnist to his colleagues from Inter Benjamin Tranié and Charline Vanhoenacker via humorists Kheiron and Dourlly defended Merwane Benlazar. “When the character of Coluche makes racist jokes with his red nose, it is clear that it is a joke. When Merwane posts a tweet on “Sharia” (Islamic laws governing religious, political, social and individual life)and that you know his humor and that you saw him in a spectacle, you know it’s a joke, “said Alex Vizorek.

Massive support for the profession on social networks since many other comics have displayed their solidarity to the columnist of France Inter, from Panayotis Pascot to Pablo Mira via Melha Bedia, Rosa Bursztein, Fadily Camara, Jason Broakers…

“When will it stop?” »»

Merwane Benlazar is not a little new in the world of humor. Launched by his colleague from the 93 Kheiron, the young man made his start in the Comedy Club Parisiens from 16 years old. After two years of parentheses in Economy and Sociology, he returned to the boards at 22 years old. He then hits the eye of big names, like Gad Elmaleh or Roman Frayssinet, which allow him to play prestigious first parts, as in Roland-Garros where he opened the scene for the show of Fary in July 2023.

With his friend Panayotis Pascot, he also traveled the rooms in the provinces. “It fueled me a lot to discover this France which did not expect me at all, it allowed me to find the way to conquer these audiences!” He said in June 2024.

On stage, in his show “The formidable Merwane Benlazar”, the humorist is played out of clichés, especially racist, as a slalomer avoids stakes. A Punker from Vannes who had already mentioned in a previous sketch, the impression that his hair could return. “I let the beard grow because being just Arab in France is too easy,” he laughed. I need real challenges, there, we are on a real challenge. »»

At the end of his sketch posted this Saturday evening, Merwane Benlazar expanded his words. “I can defend myself, but every day, there are hundreds of Arabs who are returned because they have not put the right sweater, which are not taken because they did not put The good hat and them, they will never defend themselves. It has to (controversy) Serve something, that it changes a little for these people. »»