Yvan Benedetti
{{short description|French nationalist activist}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Yvan Benedetti
| image =
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| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1965|9|16|df=yes}}
| birth_place = La Réunion
| death_date =
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| nationality = French
| occupation = Political activist
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Yvan Benedetti (born 16 September 1965) is a French far-right activist. The former president of L'Œuvre Française (2012–13), he has been the spokesman of The Nationalists since 2015.
Biography
= Early life =
Yvan Benedetti was born on 16 September 1965 in La Réunion,{{Cite web|title=Yvan Benedetii - Dirigeant de la société Bb Audio|url=https://dirigeants.bfmtv.com/Yvan-BENEDETTI-4531225|website=BFM Business}} from a Corsican father.{{Cite book|last=Pujol|first=Philippe|title=Mon cousin le fasciste|date=2017|publisher=Le Seuil|isbn=9782021333213|language=fr}} During his youth, he attended a technical high school and was a member of the Nouvelle Droite scouting organization Europe-Jeunesse.
= L'Œuvre Française =
In the 1990s-2000s, he was the right-hand-man of Pierre Sidos, the founder and leader of L'Œuvre Française (also known as L'Œuvre).{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2yXTDgAAQBAJ&pg=PT409|title=Les extrêmes droites en France: De 1945 à nos jours|last=Gautier|first=Jean-Paul|date=2017-05-12|publisher=Syllepse|isbn=9782849505700|pages=409–11|language=fr}} After negotiations with Sidos, Jean-Marie Le Pen allowed some L'Œuvre militants, notably Benedetti, to integrate the FN in 2007.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FPHTCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT67|title=Les faux-semblants du Front national: Sociologie d'un parti politique|last=Crépon|first=Sylvain|date=2015-10-29|publisher=Presses de Sciences Po|isbn=9782724618129|pages=67–68|language=fr}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.slate.fr/story/94893/oeuvre-francaise|title=L'Œuvre française, une longue marche sous le signe de la croix celtique|date=2014-11-21|website=Slate.fr|language=fr|access-date=2019-08-10}} In 2011, he directed the electoral campaign of Bruno Gollnisch for the presidency of the FN.{{Cite news|url=https://www.lemonde.fr/politique/article/2010/09/17/bruno-gollnisch-lance-sa-campagne-sur-le-parvis-de-la-basilique-saint-denis_1412471_823448.html|title=Bruno Gollnisch lance sa campagne sur le parvis de la Basilique Saint-Denis|date=2010-09-17|access-date=2019-08-14|language=fr}}
Benedetti was however expelled from the party in 2011 after he defined himself as an "anti-Zionist, anti-Semite, anti-Jews" in an interview.{{Cite web|url=https://www.liberation.fr/france/2011/07/10/un-tres-proche-de-gollnisch-exclu-du-fn-pour-deux-ans_748369|title=Un très proche de Gollnisch exclu du FN pour deux ans|date=2011-07-10|website=Libération.fr|language=fr|access-date=2019-08-11}} Benedetti, along with nationalist activist Alexandre Gabriac, decided to establish "Jeunesses Nationalistes" in 2011 as the youth movement and activist branch of L'Œuvre Française, in order to attract militants disappointed by the new FN leadership.{{Cite web|url=https://www.lejdd.fr/Politique/L-Oeuvre-francaise-et-les-Jeunesses-nationalistes-n-acceptent-pas-leur-dissolution-620787-3142184|title=L'Oeuvre française et les Jeunesses nationalistes n'acceptent pas leur dissolution|last=JDD|first=Le|website=lejdd.fr|language=fr|access-date=2019-08-11}} The following year, Pierre Sidos, then 85, left the presidency of L'Œuvre after 44 years in office, succeeded by Benedetti.{{Cite news|url=https://www.lemonde.fr/politique/article/2012/02/07/pierre-sidos-quitte-la-presidence-de-l-oeuvre-francaise_5981831_823448.html|title=Pierre Sidos quitte la présidence de l'Oeuvre française|date=2012-02-07|access-date=2019-08-10|language=fr}}
L'Œuvre Française was dissolved on 23 July 2013 after the issue of an official decree by the then Minister of the Interior, Manuel Valls. The ban occurred in a context of street violence by far-right revolutionary groups, and followed the death of a far-left activist in a fight involving another nationalist association led by Serge Ayoub.{{Cite web|date=2013-06-07|title=Mort de Clément Méric : cinq personnes toujours en garde à vue|url=https://www.france24.com/fr/20130607-mort-clement-meric-serge-ayoub-le-leader-jnr-entendu-police|access-date=2019-08-11|website=France 24|language=fr}} Valls justified the dissolution by denouncing L'Œuvre as a group "organized like a private militia thanks to paramilitary-like training camps."{{Cite web|date=2013-07-24|title=Manuel Valls annonce la dissolution de l'Oeuvre française et des Jeunesses nationalistes|url=https://www.france24.com/fr/20130724-manuel-valls-annonce-dissolution-oeuvre-francaise-jeunesses-nationalistes|access-date=2019-08-11|website=France 24|language=fr}} He further added that the association had been "spreading a xenophobic and antisemitic ideology, diffusing racist and Holocaust-denying thesis, exalting collaboration [with the Nazis] and the Vichy regime, paying regular tribute to Pétain, Brasillach or Maurras".{{Cite news|date=2013-07-24|title=Nouvelles dissolutions de structures d'extrême droite|journal=La Croix|language=fr-FR|url=https://www.la-croix.com/Actualite/France/Nouvelles-dissolutions-de-structures-d-extreme-droite-2013-07-24-990394|access-date=2019-08-11|issn=0242-6056}}
= French Nationalist Party =
In 2014, Benedetti and Gabriac ran in the municipal elections of Vénissieux, in the outskirts of Lyon, inviting electors to "slip a quenelle" inside the ballot box. They obtained, with 11.5% of the votes, seats in the city council.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FPHTCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT67|title=Les faux-semblants du Front national: Sociologie d'un parti politique|last=Crépon|first=Sylvain|date=2015-10-29|publisher=Presses de Sciences Po|isbn=9782724618129|pages=67–68|language=fr}} The ballot initiated by the two FN dissidents was called "Vénissieux Fait Front" and featured most of the candidates that had run for the FN during the previous election, which led Marine Le Pen to denounce Benedetti and Gabriac as "parasites" and to call for the invalidation of their candidacy.{{Cite web|url=https://www.leprogres.fr/rhone/2014/02/26/venissieux-marine-le-pen-demande-au-prefet-d-invalider-la-liste-benedetti-gabriac|title=Vénissieux. Marine Le Pen demande d'invalider la liste Benedetti-Gabriac|website=www.leprogres.fr|language=FR-fr|access-date=2019-08-12}} The vote was eventually declared void a few months later by the Conseil d'État due to irregularities in the list of candidates.{{Cite web|url=https://www.capital.fr/economie-politique/le-conseil-d-etat-annule-les-elections-municipales-de-venissieux-1010669|title=Le Conseil d'Etat annule les élections municipales de Vénissieux|date=2015-02-04|website=Capital.fr|language=fr|access-date=2019-08-12}}
In September 2015, Benedetti appealed to join the French Nationalist Party, of which he is the spokesman.{{Cite web|url=https://oeilsurlefront.liberation.fr/hors-les-murs/2017/03/01/yvan-benedetti_1552313|title=Yvan Benedetti - Œil sur le front|website=oeilsurlefront.liberation.fr|language=fr|access-date=2019-08-14|archive-date=2019-08-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190814005747/https://oeilsurlefront.liberation.fr/hors-les-murs/2017/03/01/yvan-benedetti_1552313|url-status=dead}} The movement had been established back in 1983 and re-activated earlier in 2015 to cope with the dissolution of several far-right groups in 2013.{{Cite web|url=https://www.france-politique.fr/wiki/%C5%92uvre_Fran%C3%A7aise_(%C5%92)|title=Œuvre Française (Œ) — France Politique|website=www.france-politique.fr|access-date=2019-08-13}}
After the death of Robert Faurisson in October 2018, he described the Holocaust denier as a "modern-day herald who marked the second half of the 20th century."{{Cite web|url=http://www.conspiracywatch.info/deces-de-faurisson-la-complosphere-antisemite-en-deuil.html|title = Décès de Faurisson : La complosphère antisémite en deuil|date = 22 October 2018}}
In late 2018, he participated in the Yellow Vest movement; his presence was noticed by the media due to an altercation with a team of journalists.{{Cite web|url=https://www.parismatch.com/Culture/Medias/Gilets-jaunes-une-equipe-de-Quotidien-a-fait-face-a-des-manifestants-hostiles-1592388|title="Gilets jaunes" : une équipe de "Quotidien" a fait face à des manifestants hostiles|last=Match|first=Paris|website=parismatch.com|language=fr|access-date=2019-08-14}}
In October 2019, he bullied journalists during an anti-ART march in Paris to prevent them from interviewing demonstrators, and participated in the degradation of their equipment, including a camera.{{Cite web|url=https://www.francetvinfo.fr/societe/pma/video-des-journalistes-de-quotidien-agresses-par-des-militants-d-extreme-droite-pendant-la-manifestation-anti-pma_3649615.html|title=Des journalistes de "Quotidien" agressés par des militants d'extrême droite pendant la manifestation anti-PMA|date=2019-10-08|website=France Info|language=fr|access-date=2019-11-18}}
In 2022, Benedetti tried with no success to run as candidate for the 2022 French presidential election.{{Cite web |date=2022-01-14 |title=France 2022 : les candidats |url=https://graphics.france24.com/france-candidats-presidentielle-2022-macron-le-pen-pecresse-melenchon-zemmour/ |access-date=2023-01-16 |website=FRANCE 24 |language=fr}}{{Cite web |last=Ronai |first=Maurice |date=2022-02-01 |title=Présidentielle : le point sur les candidatures « anti-système » |url=https://www.conspiracywatch.info/presidentielle-le-point-sur-les-candidatures-anti-systeme.html |access-date=2023-01-16 |website=Conspiracy Watch {{!}} L'Observatoire du conspirationnisme |language=fr-FR}}
During the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Benedetti supported the Russian side and blamed NATO's responsibility in the conflict.{{Cite web |last=StreetPress |title=L’extrême droite française se fracture sur le front ukrainien |url=https://www.streetpress.com/sujet/1646068044-extreme-droite-francaise-fracture-front-ukrainien-zemmour-le-pen-poutine |access-date=2023-01-16 |website=StreetPress |language=fr}}
Convictions
In June 2019, Yvan Benedetti was convicted to a suspended 8 months jail sentence for "recreating a disbanded league", L'Œuvre having kept on operating for several months following the dissolution.{{Cite web |date=2019-06-12 |title=Peine alourdie en appel pour Yvan Benedetti pour non-dissolution de l'Oeuvre française |url=http://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-actu/peine-alourdie-en-appel-pour-yvan-benedetti-pour-non-dissolution-de-l-oeuvre-francaise-20190612 |access-date=2019-08-12 |website=FIGARO}}{{Cite web |date=2019-06-11 |title=Condamné en appel, le nationaliste Yvan Benedetti songe aux municipales |url=https://www.rue89lyon.fr/2019/06/11/condamne-en-appel-le-nationaliste-yvan-benedetti-reve-delections-municipales/ |access-date=2019-08-12 |website=Rue89Lyon |language=fr-FR}}
He was convicted in June 2021 for publishing on his website a video entitled "Jews, incest and hysteria" in which members of the Jewish community were described, according to the court, as being "as a whole, by virtue of their 'uniqueness', naturally incestuous, more so than any other community".{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2021-06-08 |title=Ultra-droite : les nationalistes Ryssen et Benedetti condamnés pour une vidéo antisémite |url=https://www.leparisien.fr/faits-divers/ultra-droite-les-nationalistes-ryssen-et-benedetti-condamnes-pour-une-video-antisemite-08-06-2021-UUURRXYIEZCYNGVRKQFRUCIB7E.php |website=Le Parisien}}
In September 2022, he was fined 10,000 euros for denying the existence of a crime against humanity, because of an article minimising the number of deaths in the Holocaust.{{Cite web |date=2022-09-13 |title=Yvan Benedetti condamné à 10.000 euros d'amende |url=https://www.20minutes.fr/justice/3349331-20220913-negationnisme-figure-extreme-droite-yvan-benedetti-condamne-10000-euros-amende |access-date=2023-01-16 |website=www.20minutes.fr |language=fr}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{French far right}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Benedetti, Yvan}}
Category:National Rally politicians