Bayard’s unions, owner of the newspaper the crosscalled, on Wednesday, November 27, for a one-hour strike on Thursday, between 2 and 3 p.m., in a context of fear of seeing. “the extreme right” Enter this Catholic publishing and press group. This decision was made during a general meeting on Tuesday. “Then they will be offered other forms of mobilization for Thursday, December 5”informed the unions (CFDT, CFTC, CFE-CGC – CSN, CGT, SNJ) in an internal brochure.
On the one hand, they question the fact that Bayard is among the buyers of the Higher School of Journalism (ESJ) in Paris, along with billionaires such as Bernard Arnault, Rodolphe Saadé and the ultra-conservative Vincent Bolloré.
On the other hand, these unions oppose the hiring of Alban du Rostu as director of strategy and development of the group, a newly created position. The latter is a former collaborator of the conservative Catholic billionaire Pierre-Edouard Stérin, who this year failed to buy the weekly Marianne. “We don’t want the extreme right in Bayard”Is “a visceral rejection”a union source told Agence France-Presse (AFP), pointing out “the journey” by Mr. Rostu.
Alban du Rostu denies having “an editorial or management role in newspapers”
Until his resignation, effective in July, the latter headed the Common Good Fund, a philanthropic organization financed by Stérin. Aside from his businesses, the billionaire has launched a political project called Pericles, which aims to bring together right-wing and far-right forces. Following the revelation of his arrival at Bayard by Release AND HumanityThe hypothesis that Rostu has participated worries his opponents. “I am not part of this project”However, he told AFP, deploring “a caricature” and a “proof of intent”.
Alban du Rostu also assured that there would be no “no editorial or managerial role in newspapers” of the group. According to him, his role will be to work on the diversification of Bayard, creating “new centers of activity in faster growing sectors” like the press, affected by an economic crisis. “I totally recognize myself” In “Bayard’s DNA”he insisted.
François Morinière, president of the group’s board of directors since the end of October, could not immediately be reached. Bayard is in the hands of the Catholic religious congregation of the Augustinians of the Assumption. In addition to the crossHe owns the weekly the pilgrimthe monthly our time and youth press titles such as Apple of Api, Astrapi, Okapi and I like to read (under the Bayard Jeunesse brand), as well as slide, moose EITHER 1day1news (under the Milan brand, its subsidiary).
