Jean Messiha
{{short description|French media personality, former politician and civil servant (born 1970)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Jean Messiha
| image = Jean Messiha, mars 2022 (52104100348).jpg
| caption = Messiha in 2022
| birth_name = Hossam Boutros Messiha
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1970|9|10|df=y}}
| birth_place = Cairo, Egypt
| death_date =
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| nationality = Egyptian
French (since 1990)
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| education =
| alma mater = Sciences Po
École nationale d'administration
| employer =
| occupation = Economist, civil servant, political advisor, commentator
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| party = Reconquête (2022–present)
| otherparty = National Rally (2016–2020)
Independent (2020–2022)
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| movement = Far-right on Internet and social networks
}}{{Conservatism in France|Politicians}}
Jean Messiha ({{IPA|fr|ʒɑ̃ mesja}}; born Hossam Boutros Messiha, {{langx|ar|حسام بطرس مسيحة}}{{lrm}}, 10 September 1970) is an Egyptian-born French far-right economist, media personality, and formerly a politician and senior civil servant. He was appointed Deputy Undersecretary of Management at the Ministry of Defence in 2014 before he joined the National Front (FN) in 2016, when he became spokesman of Horaces, a group of high-ranking civil servants and business executives who meet once a month to discuss the party platform. Messiha stood as a candidate in the 2017 legislative election in the 4th constituency of the Aisne department.
In 2020, he left the party to assume the presidency of the Apollon Institute, a far-right think tank.{{Cite web|date=26 March 2021|title=Génération identitaire, au cœur de l'ultradroite décomplexée|url=https://www.leparisien.fr/politique/generation-identitaire-au-coeur-de-lultradroite-decomplexee-26-03-2021-CMI6DQQPIVBK7D3WNY4PXEJF3U.php|access-date=2021-08-24|website=leparisien.fr|language=fr-FR}} In 2022, Messiha joined presidential candidate Éric Zemmour's newly-founded Reconquête party and became its spokesman.
Early life
Messiha was born Hossam Boutros Messiha in 1970 in Cairo, Egypt, to a family of Coptic Christians;{{cite news|last1=Folch|first1=Arnaud|title=Jean Messiha : l'autre énarque de Marine Le Pen|url=http://www.valeursactuelles.com/politique/jean-messiha-lautre-enarque-de-marine-le-pen-66333|accessdate=26 April 2017|work=Valeurs actuelles|date=12 February 2017}} his father was a diplomat.{{cite news|title=Messiha, un haut fonctionnaire en charge du projet de Marine Le Pen|url=http://www.lepoint.fr/politique/messiha-un-haut-fonctionnaire-en-charge-du-projet-de-marine-le-pen-04-02-2017-2102471_20.php|accessdate=26 April 2017|work=Le Point|date=4 February 2017}}{{cite news|last1=Albertini|first1=Dominique|title=Jean Messiha, un cadre atypique au FN|url=http://www.liberation.fr/france/2017/02/10/jean-messiha-un-cadre-atypique-au-fn_1547792|accessdate=26 April 2017|work=Libération|date=10 February 2017}} He lived in Bogotá, Colombia from the age of 3 to 7. At the age of 8, he arrived with his family in France, reportedly "not speaking a word of French". He then grew up in Mulhouse. In 1990, upon his naturalisation as a French citizen, he changed his first name to Jean.
Messiha graduated from Sciences Po, where one of his professors was Henri Guaino. He earned a PhD in Economics. His thesis was about the budgetary policies of the Maastricht Treaty and Amsterdam Treaty. He graduated from the École nationale d'administration in 2005.
Career
Messiha began his career as a high-ranking civil servant in 2005. He was appointed as Deputy Undersecretary of Management at the Ministry of Defence in 2014.
Messiha became an advisor to National Rally leader Marine Le Pen in 2014. In May 2016, he became the spokesman of the "Horaces", a group of high-ranking civil servants and business executives, supporting Marine Le Pen, who meet once a month and discuss the political platform of the National Rally.{{cite news|last1=Hausalter|first1=Louis|title=Jean Messiha, le nouveau techno de Marine Le Pen|url=https://www.marianne.net/politique/jean-messiha-le-nouveau-techno-de-marine-le-pen|accessdate=26 April 2017|work=Marianne|date=17 April 2017}} While the group announces more than 155 members, Messiha is the only one whose name has been publicly known so far. According to Dominique Albertini of Libération, Messiha's role within the National Rally is to represent "the drawing power of [the party] towards high-ranking civil servants".
Messiha has asserted his belief in Renaud Camus's Great Replacement conspiracy theory, whereby Christian populations are being "replaced" through non-European immigration, specifically from Muslim and African countries. On social media, he has expressed that Islam is at odds with France's republican system. He is also a critic of the European Union.
A candidate in the 2017 French legislative election to represent Aisne's 4th constituency in the National Assembly, Messiha was defeated in the second round by La République En Marche! candidate Marc Delatte, with 43.73% of valid votes against Delatte's 56.27%.{{cite web|language=fr |title=2017 legislative election results for Aisne's 4th constituency |url=http://elections.interieur.gouv.fr/legislatives-2017/002/00204.html |accessdate=13 April 2019 |website=www.interieur.gouv.fr |date=18 June 2017}}
In November 2020, several news outlets reported that Messiha was going to leave the National Rally.{{cite news|language=fr |title=Rassemblement national : Jean Messiha quitte le parti |url=https://www.lepoint.fr/politique/rassemblement-national-jean-messiha-quitte-le-parti-04-11-2020-2399439_20.php |accessdate=11 December 2020 |work=Le Point |date=4 November 2020}}{{cite news|language=fr |title=Jean Messiha va quitter le RN |url=https://www.nouvelobs.com/politique/20201103.OBS35601/info-obs-jean-messiha-va-quitter-le-rn.html |first1=Paul |last1=Laubacher |accessdate=11 December 2020 |work=L'Obs |date=3 November 2020}}{{cite news|language=fr |title=Jean Messiha claque la porte du RN |url=https://www.lefigaro.fr/politique/jean-messiha-claque-la-porte-du-rn-20201103 |first1=Charles |last1=Sapin |accessdate=11 December 2020 |work=Le Figaro |date=3 November 2020}} This was later confirmed by Messiha, who announced his departure in an interview published in Valeurs actuelles.{{cite news|language=fr |title=Jean Messiha : "Pourquoi je quitte le Rassemblement national" |url=https://www.valeursactuelles.com/politique/exclusif-jean-messiha-pourquoi-je-quitte-le-rassemblement-national-125291 |first1=Tugdual |last1=Denis |accessdate=11 December 2020 |work=Valeurs Actuelles |date=3 November 2020}} In March 2021, Jean Messiha made the headlines{{Citation needed|date=June 2021}} in affirming the existence of a "black privilege" during the 46th César Awards.{{Cite web|url=https://www.public.fr/News/il-y-a-un-privilege-noir-Jean-Messiha-derape-sur-les-Cesar-et-s-en-prend-a-Jean-Pascal-Zadi-chez-Pascal-Praud-1669114|title="Il y a un privilège noir" : Jean Messiha dérape sur les César, et s'en prend à Jean-Pascal Zadi, chez Pascal Praud !|date=15 March 2021 }}{{Better source needed|reason=Citation from gossip news magazine "Public".|date=June 2021}}
During the 2022 French presidential election, Messiha has supported the candidacy of Éric Zemmour.
According to the news website Mediapart, he continued to receive salaries from the Defense ministry from 2017 to 2022.{{Cite web |last=Turchi |first=Justine Brabant, Marine |title=Jean Messiha, la haine sur fonds publics |url=https://www.mediapart.fr/journal/france/200623/jean-messiha-la-haine-sur-fonds-publics |access-date=2023-06-20 |website=Mediapart |date=20 June 2023 |language=fr}}
On 8 November 2023 Arcom decided to classify Jean Mesiha as "personalities of various right-wingers". Speaking time on television sets is therefore deducted from the allocated time.{{Cite web |last=Messiha |first=Jean |title=Jean Messiha : Cet insupportable immigré amoureux de la France que l'on veut faire taire|url=https://www.valeursactuelles.com/societe/jean-messiha-cet-insupportable-immigre-amoureux-de-la-france-que-lon-veut-faire-taire |access-date=2023-11-26 |website=Valeur Actuelle |date=24 November 2023 |language=fr}}
Media presence and activism
Since the late 2010s, Messiha's fame has grown in France, mainly due to his interventions in the TV shows of C8 and CNews and his activities on social networks.
In 2020, the French website Arrêt sur images indicates Messiha is "the favourite RN's member of Canal+ group".{{Cite web |title=Arrêt sur images |url=https://www.arretsurimages.net/ |access-date=2024-03-12 |website=www.arretsurimages.net}} Moreover, his debate with Yassine Belattar has exceed 700 000 views on Youtube.
Speaking enormously and very often on the social networks, his number of subscribers on Twitter increased from 40 000 in 2019{{Cite web |date=11 September 2019 |title=Jean Messiha, le ferrailleur venu d'Egypte du RN |url=https://www.lopinion.fr/politique/jean-messiha-le-ferrailleur-venu-degypte-du-rn |access-date=2024-03-12 |website=l'Opinion |language=fr}} to 110 000 in 2020.{{Cite web |date=3 November 2020 |title=INFO OBS. Jean Messiha va quitter le RN |url=https://www.nouvelobs.com/politique/20201103.OBS35601/info-obs-jean-messiha-va-quitter-le-rn.html |access-date=2024-03-12 |website=L'Obs |language=fr}} In August 2021, his Twitter account has been suspended because of his words judged hateful.{{Cite web |last=Brustier |first=Gaël |date=5 August 2021 |title=Jean Messiha, le retour de bâton d'une parole investie quasi-exclusivement sur les réseaux privés |url=https://www.slate.fr/story/213921/jean-messiha-infortunes-privatisation-censure-compte-twitter-suppression-definitive |access-date=2024-03-12 |website=Slate.fr |language=fr-FR}} However, it has been reactivated in January 2023 following the acquisition of Twitter by Elon Musk.
In July 2023, he organised on the GoFundMe website a fundraiser in favour of the family of the policeman indicted for killing Nahel Merzouk. It raised more than a million euros in a few days.{{Cite news |date=3 July 2023 |title=Emeutes : comment l'extrême droite instrumentalise la cagnotte de soutien à la famille du policier |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2023/07/03/emeutes-comment-l-extreme-droite-instrumentalise-une-cagnotte-pour-la-famille-du-policier_6180372_3224.html |access-date=2024-03-12 |work=Le Monde.fr |language=fr}}
Personal life
Messiha became a naturalised French citizen at the age of 20,{{cite news|title=Quand "Libé" apprend à un porte-parole du FN qu'il est immigré|url=http://www.lesinrocks.com/2017/02/news/libe-apprend-a-porte-parole-fn-quil-immigre/|accessdate=26 April 2017|work=Les Inrocks|date=10 February 2017}} changing his first name to "Jean" in the process. He has described himself as a "naturalized ethnic Frenchman" ({{langx|fr|link=no|Français de souche par naturalisation}}) and "Arab outside, French inside". In February 2017, he was surprised to learn that, in spite of his naturalisation, he was still considered an immigrant by the national statistics bureau of France, Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques (INSEE).
References
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Jean Messiha fortune Jean Messiha, figure éminente des médias et de la politique française, est connu pour ses opinions d’extrême droite et sa longue carrière d’économiste, de fonctionnaire et de commentateur. Né Hossam Boutros Messiha au Caire, en Égypte, le 10 septembre 1970, Messiha est ensuite devenu citoyen français et a adopté le nom de Jean lors de sa naturalisation en 1990.
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Category:Egyptian emigrants to France
Category:Naturalized citizens of France
Category:French people of Coptic descent
Category:Politicians from Mulhouse
Category:French critics of Islam
Category:École nationale d'administration alumni
Category:20th-century French economists
Category:21st-century French economists
Category:French civil servants