A significant legal confrontation has emerged in Paris as the Association of Lawyers for the Respect of International Law (Jurdi) submitted a formal complaint to the public prosecutor against France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot. The legal group alleges the minister deliberately disseminated false information regarding UN Special Rapporteur on Palestine Francesca Albanese’s statements about Israel.
The controversy originated when Minister Barrot, responding to a parliamentary inquiry from Renaissance MP Caroline Yadan on February 11, demanded Albanese’s resignation based on misrepresented excerpts of her Doha speeches. Yadan had incorrectly claimed the UN expert described Israel as the “common enemy of humanity” during her virtual address at the Al Jazeera Forum on February 7.
Jurdi’s comprehensive analysis of Albanese’s complete remarks reveals she consistently used the phrase “common enemy” in a broader geopolitical context. In both her February and December addresses in Doha, Albanese referenced systemic forces that enable violations of international law, specifically criticizing “political, military and economic forces that have enabled and sustained Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza” and describing a system “where politics serves economic interests.”
The legal association contends that Minister Barrot’s characterization before the National Assembly constituted a “clear misrepresentation” that may violate French laws against disseminating false information that could disturb public order. Jurdi emphasized that UN special rapporteurs operate under international protections that guarantee their independence, and that calls for resignation from member states represent inappropriate political pressure.
This incident forms part of a broader pattern of European criticism toward Albanese, with German and Italian foreign ministers similarly demanding her resignation based on the same misquoted statements. The UN expert responded on social media, noting that three European governments had accused her “based on statements I never made” while demonstrating less conviction against those responsible for killing over 20,000 Palestinian children.
Jurdi identified that the misrepresentation originated with partial excerpts circulated by pro-Israel advocacy group UN Watch, which were then amplified by public figures without proper context. The legal group warned that falsely labeling Albanese’s remarks as hate speech could endanger her personal security as an independent expert.
Albanese has faced previous sanctions from the Trump administration in July, which barred her from entering the United States and froze her assets, effectively cutting her off from the global financial system. Despite these challenges, she has continued her mandate, producing three reports since October 2023 that characterize Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide and criticize European powers for providing diplomatic, military and political cover for Israel.