La Presse – “Our Respects, Madam” (December 7 2025) – English Translation
Published on February 21 2026
Introduction
In a recent Humeur titled “Our Respects, Madam” (December 7 2025), I highlighted the qualities of Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories. This woman embodies unwavering integrity in a world where divergent interests and diplomatic pressures intersect. She remains faithful to her principles, committed to transparency and respect for the rule of law.
A New Scandal Emerges
In the past few days, Albanese has resurfaced at the centre of the news cycle—this time because of a fabricated scandal. Her measured and firm voice inspires confidence because it does not shift with circumstances. Driven by an exemplary professional conscience, wherever she goes her stance on human‑rights work is clear: stand with the victims, especially in Gaza.
For these values and many others, Albanese—named Personality of the Year 2024 by PassBlue—has suffered infamous injustices at the hands of U.S. institutions: her credit card was revoked, her New York apartment confiscated, and other punitive measures imposed. Despite these sanctions, she continues to champion her positions, moving from one radio station to another, from an Arab‑language TV channel to an English‑language outlet, eliciting both supportive and hostile reactions.
The Doha Video‑Conference Incident
On February 7, Albanese delivered a speech via videoconference at a media forum organized in Doha by the Al Jazeera network.
Her detractors—of which there are many—accused her of statements she never made. The contested passage reads in French:
“… Nous, qui ne contrôlons ni capitaux financiers, ni algorithmes, ni armes, constatons aujourd’hui que l’humanité a un ennemi commun. Et les libertés, le respect des libertés fondamentales, constituent notre dernier recours pacifique, notre dernier outil pacifique pour recouvrer notre liberté.”
A YouTube channel called UN Watch, an organization based in Geneva known for supporting the occupation of Palestinian territories (source: Blog Mondoweiss), edited Albanese’s intervention, cutting out portions and re‑framing the text to label the Zionist state as “the common enemy of humanity.” Zionist pressure groups then amplified the distorted excerpt, which spread like wildfire, igniting a media storm built on false statements.
International Outcry
These misrepresentations were quickly elevated to an international scandal. Outraged, diplomatic circles seized upon the issue:
- Jean‑Noël Barrot, French Minister of Foreign Affairs, demanded Albanese’s immediate resignation “for her scandalous remarks.”
- German counterpart Johann Wadephul echoed the call: “… she cannot retain her post.”
- Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani added that her “behaviour, statements and initiatives are not appropriate for the position she holds.”
- The Czech and Austrian foreign ministers also issued denunciations, among many others.
Civil‑Society Response
Following the wave of denunciations, the international civil society began to react. Albanese released the full transcript of her Doha speech, stating unequivocally:
“I never made such remarks…”
Unfortunately, her clarification was neither amplified nor commented on by the diplomatic community.
Further Reading
Read also: “My Moods – Music Loses One of Its Giants: Michel Portal”
Keywords: Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur, Gaza, fabricated scandal, media manipulation, diplomatic condemnation, civil society response, transparency, human rights.
