Ségolène Royal, here in 2017, defended her freedom of speech. - PDN / SIPA

  • Threatened with being dismissed from her duties as ambassador of the poles because of her speaking, Ségolène Royal defended her freedom of speech by using a quote frequently attributed to Voltaire.
  • The writer never said: "I do not agree with what you say but I will fight to the death so that you have the right to say it", as confirmed by two specialists at 20 Minutes .
  • This phrase is also widely used in the English-speaking world.

She assumes her freedom of speech. Summoned to respect a duty of reserve by the government, Ségolène Royal replied on Twitter on Wednesday, using a quote.

"Do you not miss the Voltairian spirit?" ", She started by launching against the government, which threatens to dismiss her from her duties as ambassador of the poles because of her speech on" yellow vests "or the pension reform. Then continue, with the quote: "I don't agree with what you say but I will fight to the death so that you have the right to say it." Voltaire ".

Don't we miss the Voltairean spirit? <I don't agree with what you say but I will fight to the death so that you have the right to say it> VOLTAIRE https://t.co/0oaZ2T89bX

- Ségolène Royal (@RoyalSegolene) January 15, 2020

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The quote was never written by Voltaire, confirms to Nicholas Cronk, director of the Voltaire Foundation, an Oxford-based research center, which publishes the writer's complete works, at 20 Minutes . The quote is from a book published in 1906 by Edith Hall, The Friends of Voltaire ( Les Amis de Voltaire ). The author sums up Voltaire's attitude in these terms: "I do not agree with what you are saying, but I will fight to the death so that you have the right to say it". This sentence written by Edith Hall appears in quotation marks in the book, which may have caused confusion.

"This British writer describes Voltairean values ​​in this book," recalls Nicholas Cronk. She gives this sentence and it turned out so well that it was attributed to Voltaire. "This has been a major success for both French and English speakers, said the professor of French literature. "It's an expression that has flourished on the Web, it is even on T-shirts," he laughs. For English speakers, it is almost a reference slogan on freedom of speech. "

Is this sentence faithful to Voltaire's thought? "It's an honest summary of his thinking," said Nicholas Cronk. For Myrtille Méricam-Bourdet, lecturer at the University of Lyon II and specialist in the 18th century, this sentence is both “exact and inaccurate. "It is correct, because" Voltaire demanded the freedom to express himself for others and for himself. "Inaccurate, because this freedom found limits. "This idea of ​​universal tolerance, that all ideas are equal, is not found in the writings of Voltaire or in the 18th century," she concludes.

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