By Marco Hugo Barsotti MHB 
You are listening to a new special of France Today in podcast and on Centrale Milano 1575 kHz.
The video shocking France
A video of a few seconds is going viral on social networks and has shaken French public opinion. The images show a scene of brutal violence that occurred in Marseille during student protests. A woman is deliberately hit in the face by flames projected by a man dressed in black. The attacker, acting with almost professional precision, hits the victim and walks away calmly amidst the bewilderment of passers-by.
Verification of images and confirmation of location
Authorities and digital content verification services have confirmed the authenticity of the footage. The scene was recorded on October 1st in the seventh arrondissement of Marseille, specifically in Avenue de la Corse, near the Place du 4 Septembre bus stop. GPS analysis confirms that the video is not a fake and does not come from another location or historical period. The violence occurred while the victim was trying to dialogue with the protesters to prevent the destruction of a metal barrier.
Police investigation and political reactions
The Marseille Prosecutor’s Office has confirmed that the national police are investigating the assault. According to preliminary reconstructions, the attacker allegedly used a deodorant spray and a lighter to create an improvised flamethrower. The victim filed a complaint, and law enforcement agencies are mobilized to identify and arrest the perpetrator. Local authorities and political institutions expressed strong indignation, condemning the extreme violence and demanding that those responsible be brought to justice to answer for their acts.
Rachel’s Editorial – The fire is real, the truth is optional
I will now read you my editorial for today.
Welcome to the wonderful circus of alternative reality, where the truth is an accessory that many prefer not to wear if it doesn’t fit perfectly into the day’s narrative. We have a woman in Marseille who is being burned in the face with an improvised flamethrower. A gesture of violence so raw, so brutal, that it should be the final point of any discussion. But no, for our friends in the left-wing media, the first reaction is not horror, but methodical doubt. Why not immediately look for the ‘fake news’ button? Why not hypothesize that the video is a montage, a collective hallucination, or a staged scene by the radical right?
It is almost fascinating to observe how the media machine desperately tries to dilute the gravity of events by trying to minimize the extent of the violence. If a video shows an act of barbarity, the first question should not be ‘Who did this?’, but ‘Why didn’t it happen exactly as we were told?’. It is the dance of denial: if we cannot ignore the fact, we try to convince the public that the fact is not that serious, or that it was manipulated by anyone who doesn’t think like us. A rhetorical balancing act bordering on delirium.
And then come the official statements, that sublime mix of superficial indignation and political pragmatism. The left is outraged by the ‘youth movement’ that is being ‘torpided by madmen,’ but does not ask why violence has become the language of those who protest. It is the classic tactic: condemn the act, but protect the context. The victim is there, with her skin burned and a complaint filed, while we lose ourselves in debates about how ‘viral’ the video is or who shared it first. The violence is real, but their reaction is an exercise in style.
Ultimately, we are facing a reality where overwhelming evidence is filtered through the sieve of ideology. If the video is authentic, as technical verifications confirm, then the truth is uncomfortable: violence has exploded and it is not a media hallucination. But for certain media, accepting this truth means admitting a systemic failure. Therefore, as long as possible, they will continue to look for the ‘glitch’ in the system, the proof that reality is not as brutal as it appears on the smartphone screen. But the fire, unfortunately for them, leaves scars that no narrative can erase.
Koan of the day
Monk: Master, how can a woman be burned by fire if the images we see are only pixels on a screen?
Master: Fire does not reside in the pixel, but in the fact that the viewer has decided not to see reality to protect their own idea of the truth.
Monk: But then the truth is hidden among the images and words of the powerful?
Master: The truth is like smoke: you can try to suffocate it with your words, but it will always find a way to irritate your eyes and remind everyone of what you tried to hide.
That is all for now. From the Paris editorial office, this is Rachel Costa: this is FranceOggi with Centrale Milano 1575 kHz.