Comments on foreign minors: Eric Zemmour sentenced for “complicity in provoking hatred”

Eric Zemmour was sentenced on Monday for “complicity in provoking hatred or violence” and “complicity in public insults towards a group of people, because of their origin or their membership”, for his remarks made on September 29, 2020 on CNews about unaccompanied foreign minors.

The polemicist had described the latter as “thieves, murderers, rapists”, adding that they should be sent back to their country. He was sentenced to a 100-day fine of 100 euros.

Eric Zemmour will also have to pay damages to the Human Rights League, Mrap and Licra. The prosecution had requested during the hearing last November a fine of 10,000 euros, the same as the sentence pronounced on Monday, the fine being able to transform into imprisonment in the event of non-payment. The defense of the presidential candidate had pleaded for release.

“A judgment has just been rendered, but justice has not yet been passed”, reacted his lawyer, Olivier Pardo, after the announcement of the court’s decision. In a statement that followed, the presidential candidate denounced “an ideological and stupid condemnation”, stating that he would appeal.

“On the occasion of this trial, a dozen anti-racist associations and twenty departmental councils, mainly on the left, filed civil suits less than three months before the first round of the presidential election and the court eager to satisfy their whims”, commented Eric Zemmour. Adding: “It is the condemnation of a free spirit by a judicial system invaded by ideologues”.

“This judgment is important because, behind this media project, there is a political project”, reacted for his part, on LCI, master Arié Alimi, the lawyer for the LDH, civil party. “And it’s a hate project. Eric Zemmour must understand that we will be standing up against his political project.”