CGT-Spectacle, the biggest trade union representing workers in the entertainment and culture sectors in France, announced on Saturday that it is filing a lawsuit against pay-TV giant Canal+ over a threat to boycott signatories of an anti-Bolloré letter.
“In a responsible manner and in accordance with the democratic values we share… we have asked Mr. Arié Alimi to file a lawsuit with the Nanterre Judicial Court against Canal+ seeking the annulment, under penalty of a fine, of this unacceptable decision and the appointment of a representative tasked with documenting the discrimination that the Canal+ group has announced it will commit,” the union said in a statement.
The body said it was also considering the possibility of appealing to the European Commission to sanction Canal+’s abuse of economic dependence.
In a separate action, the union has also called on all professionals in the performing arts, media, and publishing sectors to join a protest against Bolloré in front of the legendary Olympia music hall in Paris, which is owned bby Vivendi, in which the Bolloré Group.
The lawsuit is the latest development in an ongoing stand-off between Canal+ and parts of the French film industry sparked by an open letter entitled “Time To Switch-Off Bolloré” (Zapper Bolloré).
Published on the opening night of the Cannes Film Festival, the letter signed by 600 cinema professionals, raised concerns over the growing control of France’s media and entertainment sectors of tycoon Vincent Bolloré, who is Canal+’s main shareholder via his Bolloré Group.
It suggested that the Canal+’s recent acquisition of a 34% stake in French major UGC, with an option to buy it outright, was a worrying development for everyone in the French cinema chain.
Canal+ CEO and Chair Maxime Saada reacted angrily, telling the attendees of the group’s annual producers’ lunch in Cannes a few days later that the company would no longer work with the signatories. With Canal+ being France’s biggest private fund of French and European cinema the threat sent a chill through the industry, but also sparked uproar.
“Maxime Saada, who has worked for Canal+ for a long time, is well aware of the group’s crucial role in financing films in France and the dependence of the various players in the industry,” said CGT-Spectacle in its statement.
“His decision is therefore not a knee-jerk reaction but a brutal choice to discriminate against political and union-related expression, aimed at silencing the voices within the profession that are rising up against Vincent Bolloré’s growing control over the entire film production and distribution chain.”
News of the lawsuit comes as support for the letter continues to grow and spread internationally. The letter’s organisers announced overnight that as of May 22, the number of signatories stood at 3,800, with Cannes 2026 jury member Paul Laverty, Ruben Östlund, Leos Carax, Sara Driver, José-Luis Guerin and Jasmine Trinca among the latest international professionals joining the likes of Javier Bardem, Walter Salles and Ken Loach in signing the letter.
