Why has Camellia Jordan been the victim of a wave of hate since the release of Before the Fire?

It is he who carries the first feature film of the former journalisthumanity, Mehdi Fikri, which hit theaters on November 15. Before the fire goes out tackles the subject of police brutality, starring the standout Camelia Jordana. The 31-year-old actress plays Malika, a 30-year-old girl who loses her brother to the death of a violent arrest in the suburbs of Paris. Aided by the youth of her neighborhood, the young woman begins a fight for justice, no matter the cost. A fictional story that recalls the true story of Assa Traore and his legal battle to honor the memory of his brother Adama, who died during a police check in Val d’Oise in 2016.

Digital invasions

However, since its theatrical release, the film has been the target of a hate campaign, mainly targeting Mehdi Fikry and Camelia Jordana. The latter two are actually victims of cyberbullying by many far-right supporters. “We are witnessing a decisive, massive and systematic attack by the extreme right on the cultural field, the privileged target of which is cinema, popular art,” the press release published on Wednesday, November 22 condemned. film directors (SRF). These “digital raids” would start with messages on the specialist website Allociné, which saw viewership ratings “suddenly drop to 1.4” before spreading to social media. “We strongly condemn these exercises of intimidation, as they actually seek to implement de facto censorship that does not speak its name,” added the representatives of the missive.

Taking office

What’s more, the fierce criticism is now aimed squarely at the actress and singer, who has nearly 217,000 followers on Instagram. The latter often becomes a victim of harassment due to his positions on the side of the most disadvantaged and harsh speeches. In 2020, he particularly caused controversy after filming the show On n’est pas couch on France 2 with writer Philippe Besson. When asked about the issue of police violence, the interpreter No no no “There are thousands of people who do not feel safe around a police officer, and I am one of them.” Regarding, on the contrary, the sometimes dangerous behavior of some demonstrators during the rallies, he countered. other reason than the color of their skin. That is a fact.” A statement that strongly displeased the deputy Christophe Caster with such scandalous accusations. “These false and shameful comments incite hatred and violence,” he said in his Twitter post.

With this new film, Camelia Jordana thus confirms and validates her views on the problem of police violence in France, once again leading to messages of hate in her publications, particularly the one promoting the feature film. Before the fire goes out. “An extreme left-wing film financed mainly with French money. If one day Camellia Jordan is the victim of an attack, will she call the bad police?” her far-right critics read. But still. “Taken care of by Camelia Jordan, who teaches this class. The criminal Adam Traore’s case ended in dismissal, so that’s enough to light the fire again.” “He denounces police violence by his T5 at 16, paid for by mum and dad from the age of 20”; “You have passed, you will remain defeated. Tocard”, “Let’s support the history of our country, don’t go to this movie, go to Napoleon”.

In the face of this outpouring of hate, many people came to the actress’s defense, including the Association Des Acteurs.ices (ADA), which released a press release on social media on Thursday, November 23. “For several days, Camelia Jordan has been subjected to severe harassment on social networks (…) Extremely violent racist and homophobic expressions have been directed at her. These comments are a continuation of the insults that our colleague and friend has suffered for several years when she speaks publicly, whether political or not. This can’t go on.” For her part, Camelia Jordana did not respond personally, preferring to highlight the far-right’s distaste for the film. “The international press is covering the subject,” he said in response to an American magazine article. deadline quoting him.