French petition to remove CNews passes 500,000 signatures

A petition calling for French broadcaster CNews to be removed from the air passed 500,000 signatures on November 2, opening the way for a possible parliamentary debate but not guaranteeing one. The National Assembly petition website showed 553,474 signatures at 14:34 GMT; a later report said the total had exceeded 600,000 that day. The petition was launched in June and gained support after a fatal attack on October 23 in the Paris suburbs. A 39-year-old man has been charged with murder and attempted murder over the attack, in which a Frenchman of Congolese origin was killed and seven people were wounded, including a child. A prosecutor said the suspect reported targeting people who appeared to be Muslim, African or North African. The petition calls for CNews to be taken off French broadcasting and describes it as a propaganda machine. Critics have accused the channel of giving prominence to anti-immigrant rhetoric and of promoting far-right views. The reports do not establish that CNews coverage influenced the attack. Contacts cited in French media described the suspect as an avid viewer, but that account does not demonstrate a causal connection. Under National Assembly rules,...