| Le Rappel | |
| Founders: | Charles Hugo François-Victor Hugo Auguste Vacquerie Paul Meurice Henri Rochefort |
| Political: | Republicanism |
| Foundation: | 4 May 1869 |
| Ceased Publication: | 1933 |
| Headquarters: | Paris |
| Publishing Country: | France |
| Language: | French |
Le Rappel (French for "the Recall") was a French daily newspaper founded in 1869 by Victor Hugo's sons Charles and François-Victor and three others. It was published from the end of the French Second Empire until 1933.[1] At the start of the Third Republic, it embodied a radical-republican tendency and as such was highly contested by the French government.[2]
The newspaper, which benefited from the law of 11 May 1868 on freedom of press, was founded on the initiative of Victor Hugo on the eve of the general elections of 1868.[3] Le Rappel was started on 4 May 1869, with Charles and François-Victor Hugo, Auguste Vacquerie, and Paul Meurice as its principal contributors.
As a contribution to the first issue, Victor Hugo wrote a manifesto consisting of an address to the five co-editors:
Le Rappel quickly became one of the major organs of early radicalism, opposing Napoleon III's empire but also denouncing crimes happening around Europe at the time. On 29 August 1876, Victor Hugo denounced the massacre of Serbs by the Ottoman Empire in a long editorial called, protesting against the impassivity of European governments.[4] On 27 April 1881, after Jews were slaughtered and driven out of the city of Yelisavetgrad in Russia, Victor Hugo used Le Rappel to denounce the pogrom and to express fury at the massacre.[5]
Notable contributors have included: