French Television Drops Driencourt From Programs on Bilateral Relations

Former French Ambassador to Algeria, Xavier Driencourt, was surprised to find himself excluded from the program broadcast by French public television (France Télévisions) on Thursday, January 22, 2026, entitled “Rumours and Devious Tactics: The Secret War Between France and Algeria.” He had been one of the prominent figures chosen to participate in the investigation, considered one of the most vehement “misinformers” and hostile figures towards Algeria.

The retired French diplomat appeared in a promotional image for French television (Channel 2) before the show aired, seated in a chair and gesturing in a scene suggesting that his “expertise” on Algerian-French relations had been utilised. This is the same diplomat who contributed significantly to poisoning these relations with his hostile and racist statements against the country where he served as ambassador for seven years.

On Friday, January 23, 2026, Xavier Driencourt retweeted two previous tweets on X expressing his displeasure with what had happened to him. The first tweet read: “…but he looked good in the teaser” for the program, a comment on the retired diplomat’s appearance in a clip from the French public television channel France 2’s program “Complementary investigation,” which was strongly criticised by the Algerian Press Agency before its broadcast on Thursday evening.

The tweet also stated: “In its special edition on Franco-Algerian relations, (French television) did not broadcast any excerpts from the interview conducted with Xavier Driencourt, the former French ambassador to Algeria, on two separate occasions. French television must explain.”

The second tweet addressed a remark from the official Algerian news agency, which strongly criticised Xavier Driencourt on Thursday and condemned the diplomat’s appearance in a promotional advertisement for a French television program about Algerian-French relations. The tweet’s author then asked, “Regardless of whether your promotional material is misleading, was censorship used?”—a clear challenge to the freedom of expression standards in France.

The Algerian Press Agency (APS) had fiercely attacked the former French ambassador to Algeria, using clear and unmistakable allusions, though without naming him.

Media reports described the remarks made by the former French ambassador to Algeria, which were subsequently removed from the program, as hostile towards Algeria. Following discussions among French television executives, these remarks were replaced with more measured statements from the current ambassador, Stéphane Romatet, who was recalled by French President Emmanuel Macron last April. This recall came in the wake of the escalating political and diplomatic crisis between the two countries, which began after the Élysée Palace decided to side with the Moroccan regime in the Western Sahara conflict.

Xavier Driencourt is considered one of the most hostile French ambassadors to Algeria. Since his retirement in 2020, he has become a theorist for the extreme right when it comes to relations between Algeria and Paris. He has also become a prominent figure in right-wing and far-right media outlets and platforms when it comes to the country where he spent seven years as ambassador.