"The statement from the group's management announcing the departure of Nicolas Barré from his position as editorial director of Les Echos cannot hide the reality of his brutal eviction by the shareholder," said the SDJ of the economic daily in a statement posted on Twitter.
"We, journalists from Les Echos, affirm our determination to ensure respect for the independence of the editorial staff," she continued.
"We are not fooled," added the LDS, recalling that journalists who wish to do so will make a "signature strike" from Thursday noon and for 24 hours in the online newspaper and in the print edition of Friday.
On Wednesday, the group Les Echos-Le Parisien formalized the departure of Mr. Barré, announcing that he was "called to occupy new functions within the editorial staff".
This group is owned by the luxury giant LVMH, of which Bernard Arnault is CEO.
The day before, Tuesday, the media La Lettre A had said that Mr. Barré would be removed from this position he had held for about 10 years. This provoked a worried reaction from the LDS about "the existence of threats to the independence of the newspaper".
The LDS had questioned a "link between this departure and the publication in recent weeks of several articles that would have displeased the shareholder".
In its statement on Thursday, the SDJ believes that the "eviction" of Mr. Barré is "in contradiction with the guarantees of independence bitterly negotiated at the time of the acquisition of Les Echos by LVMH in 2007".
Bernard Arnault was quoted in the press release of the group Les Echos-Le Parisien announcing the departure of Mr. Barré: he said he was "very happy" that the latter "has chosen to continue his career within the group with a new role".
This statement is "one more interference in the life of the newspaper despite the commitments made," said the LDS.
© 2023 AFP