Pierre-Jean Chalençon accuses M6 of spreading slander, which journalists refute.

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DIDIER AUDEBERT / LMS / SIPA

A member of the government invited to a clandestine dinner?

While an organizer of one of these events retracted after anonymously affirming that ministers were participating, the society of journalists (SDJ) of the JT of the M6 ​​channel confirmed this Tuesday in a press release "the presence of at least one member of the government at one of these dinners ”.

“Since the broadcast of our report on illegal dinners, Pierre-Jean Chalençon has spread in the media and on social networks.

He accuses our editorial staff and our newscast of spreading slander.

We, SDJ of the JT of M6, refute these remarks and wish to answer them.

As is always the case, the work of our journalists has been carried out with rigor and in full compliance with ethical rules ”, we can read in the press release from the SDJ, which represents 68 journalists from the editorial staff.

"Other sources have confirmed to us in off the presence of at least one member of the government at one of these dinners", they write, indicating that they are continuing "their investigations on this subject".

Here is our press release following the comments made by Pierre-Jean Chalençon on @BFMTV this morning @ m6info #DinersClandestins pic.twitter.com/QYoFLws0YS

- SDJ_M6 (@ sdj_m6) April 6, 2021

"Humor"

The private channel broadcast Friday evening a report with a hidden camera in a place presented as "an underground restaurant located in the beautiful districts", where the participants and the waiters do not wear masks and do not respect barrier gestures.

One of the organizers interviewed by M6, and presented as a “collector”, said in a disguised voice-over: “I had dinner this week in two or three restaurants which are supposedly underground restaurants, with a certain number of ministers.

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In view of the images of M6 and their previous publications on the networks, this man has been identified by several media and Internet users such as Pierre-Jean Chalençon, owner of the “Palais Vivienne”, located in the center of Paris.

Through a press release from his lawyer to AFP on Sunday evening, he implicitly admitted to being this source.

But he pleaded that he only made "humor" and wielded "a sense of the absurd", when he assured that ministers participated in such meals.

The journalists of M6 reaffirm, "contrary to what he says" that the entry to this evening was well paid and that it gathered about forty people.

The public prosecutor, Rémy Heitz, announced Sunday at the end of the day to have seized "the Brigade for the repression of personal delinquency [BRDP] of the Paris judicial police of an investigation of the heads of endangerment of others and hidden work ”, in order to“ check whether parties were organized in disregard of health rules and to determine who were the possible organizers and participants ”.

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