Legal action over Sarko TV clip leak

A France 3 employee has been charged with leaking a clip of Nicolas Sarkozy giving a lesson in manners to a TV technician ahead of a live interview.

The footage, which has been watched 2.6 million times on the Daily Motion video-sharing website, shows the minutes leading up to the president's TV interview on the 19.00 national news bulletin on France 3 in July last year.

The broadcaster launched an investigation into how the clip was leaked and began legal action against the technician for theft. A pre-trial hearing took place last week, according to 20 Minutes.

In the clip Sarkozy is seen having make-up applied and is heard to say bonjour to a technician fitting a microphone who then does not respond.

“It’s a question of education,” the president says. “When you’re invited, you have the right for people to say hello to you.

“Otherwise, we’re not at a public broadcaster we’re at a street rally… unbelievable.”

The president then added, ominously: “This is going to change.”

Later in the video, Sarkozy asks one of the bulletin's journalists, Gilles Leclerc, why he had not been on-screen for a long time, asking how long he had been au placard (kept aside).

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