(Mapping media freedom) 18 July 2018 – Public Sénat channel revealed that Alexandre Benalla, who worked in the Macron security team during the presidential campaign, targeted a journalist and violently pushed him during a public event 1 March 2017. This followed Le Monde revelations according to which Benalla — wearing a police visor — had beaten up a protester on 1 May 2018.
According to Public Sénat, on 1 March 2017, a Public Sénat photographer was covering a meeting where Macron was speaking. He close to the candidate and was pushed away by security guards. Then, after the photographer tried to get closer a second time, Alexandre Benalla grasped him around the waist, pushed him for 50 metres and grabbed his accreditation without providing any explanation.
Public Sénat wrote that they had denounced this behaviour, writing to the party En Marche, but that there had been no reply.
“This should have been a warning causing concern, but did not prevent Alexandre Benalla to follow the candidate Emmanuel Macron to the Élysée after he was elected”, Public Sénat wrote.
News source link
https://www.publicsenat.fr/article/politique/video-affaire-benalla-un-precedent-qui-aurait-du-alerter-88345https://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/normandie/calvados/caen/affaire-benalla-public-senat-evoque-comportement-inapproprie-lors-meeting-caen-2017-1514989.htmlhttp://www.liberation.fr/direct/element/la-chaine-public-senat-denonce-une-intervention-dalexandre-benalla-contre-un-de-ses-journalistes_84954/