France, in Reaction to Closure of Hong Kong’s Apple Daily, Says Attached to Press Freedom

A man takes a photo of his copy of the Apple Daily newspaper after it looked set to close for good by Saturday following police raids and the arrest of executives in Hong Kong, on June 22, 2021. Tyrone Siu/File/Reuters

PARIS—France is attached to the freedom and plurality of the press, government spokesman Gabriel Attal told reporters on Wednesday, when asked about Hong Kong pro-democracy tabloid Apple Daily’s decision to print its last edition later this week.

A worker packs copies of the Apple Daily newspaper at the printing house in Hong Kong, on June 18, 2021. Kin Cheung/AP Photo