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Gilles Bouleau is not a man to shy away. He recounts his disturbing experience as part of a report for TF1.
“I had a feeling of imminent death”: Gilles Bouleau moved after a TF1 report
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The traditional military parade which is the pride of France has once again kept all its promises. Journalists from TF1 and France 2, as every year, covered the event in its entirety. They also took part in more or less dangerous exercises.
© TF1
Like every July 14, journalists from the two major national channels are doubling their imagination to offer ever more spectacular content. This year, Gilles Bouleau clearly gave of himself during his meeting with the GIGN snipers.
TF1 and France 2 on a war footing from sunrise
The traditional military parade which is the pride of France has once again kept all its promises. Journalists from TF1 and France 2, as every year, covered the event in its entirety. They also took part in more or less dangerous exercises. In this Olympic year, the soldiers marched down the magnificent Avenue Foch, failing to be able to descend the Champs Élysées. An avenue that was filmed from every angle since dawn. The two major national channels were in fact live since 6 a.m. for TF1 and 7 a.m. for France 2. Considerable airtime, which you have to know how to fill. This is the reason why numerous reports are carried out in advance by the various journalists in charge of presenting the parade.
Gilles Bouleau joins the GIGN shooters
We were able to see Anne-Claire Coudray evolve alongside the elite units of the GIGN, the RAID and the BRI. The journalist followed from the inside a simulated intervention during a hostage taking. Magnificent images on his boat launched at full speed on the Seine. For his part, Gilles Bouleau also gave of himself to provide viewers with a fairly unique experience. It indeed served as a living target for GIGN snipers. A moment of solitude that the journalist will not soon forget. For the purposes of his reporting, he went to Versailles, which houses the GIGN HQ. He was eagerly awaited by the operators of the famous gendarmerie intervention unit. They had in fact planned to have him play the role of guinea pig during “coordinated shooting” and “confidence shooting” exercises.
Gilles Bouleau becomes the target of GIGN shooters
We were therefore able to see Gilles Bouleau positioning himself about fifteen meters from an armed soldier. He was fully dressed in a bulletproof vest with an orange plate attached to it. This acting as a target. Slightly concerned by what awaited him, the TF1 news presenter still took part in the game. Once the exercise was finished and the target was pulverized, Gilles Bouleau returned to the sensations he had felt. “We feel the impact. It’s like a punch to the plexus.” Before concluding: “I agreed to take part in these exercises because I am eager for completely new experiences”. One more experience for the journalist which is reminiscent of the one he experienced during the 2022 parade.
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