CEPEL support for Alexandre Dézé

CEPEL is supporting Alexandre Dézé following a complaint lodged against him by IFOP (French Institute of Public Opinion).

Message from Alexandre Dézé:

IFOP TRIES TO SILENCE ACADEMICS

A few weeks ago, as I was preparing to publish my book "10 Lessons on Political Polling" with De Boeck, I received a registered letter informing me that I was the subject of a defamation complaint from IFOP for the following comments, made in Le Monde on September 11, 2020, about a survey conducted by the polling institute on Muslims' attitudes toward the Charlie Hebdo attacks: "With such a small sample of 515 people, this poll is worthless and its conclusions are questionable. The methodological weakness is outrageous, and at the same time there is an unshakeable belief that these polls are science."  
I am still trying to figure out what is defamatory about these remarks. I can also demonstrate their validity. But that may not be the point. For nearly half a century, political scientists, sociologists, and statisticians have been heavily critical of opinion polls, highlighting their methodological weaknesses and pseudoscientific nature. My comments were simply echoing these criticisms, which pollsters are well aware of. But it seems that IFOP or some of its officials can no longer tolerate dissent. Yet polling institutes are supposed to contribute to the "proper" functioning of democracy, not seek to muzzle it. This is therefore a broader attack on freedom of expression and academic freedom, coupled with what amounts to a gagging order, as was the case in the past for Alain Garrigou, who was sued at the time by Fiducial, a company associated with IFOP.  

I requested functional protection from my university and had to hire a lawyer. I intend to fight this odious attempt to silence an academic.