Paris to Sue Fox News Over False Reporting on Muslim "No Go Zones"
The mayor of the City of Paris has said that she will sue Fox News after it made false assertions on air about the city, its security, and its Muslim population.
Politico reports that the lawsuit would revolve around comments made by Fox News personality Julie Banderas. Banderas falsely asserted on the news network that parts of Paris and England were "no go zones" for governmental security forces.
The idea of a "no go zone" refers to the idea that a local population in a given geographic area is so hostile to state authority and policing that any effort by police to enter the area results in serious clashes with residents and a police defeat.
Politico said that many Fox News personalities described parts of France and England in this way and gave incorrect information to millions of Fox News viewers, but Banderas issued a formal apology to Paris and its citizens on air.
Although it is true that both France and England have alienated Muslim minorities that often live in isolated housing projects and suffer high levels of unemployment, the situation has never been so dire that security forces could not enter certain areas.
Politico reports Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo announced the lawsuit in an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour. In the interview, Hidalgo said Paris' honor and reputation had been, "prejudiced."
Fox News has responded to the allegations by saying, "We empathize with the citizens of France as they go through a healing process and return to everyday life. However, we find the Mayor's comments regarding a lawsuit misplaced," according to Politico.
This is not the first time individuals associated with Fox News have come under fire since the Charlie Hebdo terror attack. Shortly after the attack Rupert Murdoch, the owner of Fox News, sent a Tweet suggesting that all Muslims were culpable to some degree for the attack.
