He was sentenced toa fine of €10,000, for incitement to hatred. Eric Zemmour was sentenced by the Paris Criminal Court, Monday January 17, after his remarks on unaccompanied migrant minors. The far-right presidential candidate, already convicted for this reason in 2011, had described them on CNews, September 29, 2020, as “thieves”, “assassins” and “rapists”. He was absent during the judgment, as during the trial last November. His lawyer, Olivier Pardo, announced that he would appeal as soon as he left the courtroom.
The court followed the requisitions of the prosecution, which had requested a 100-day fine of 100 euros, with the possibility of imprisonment in the event of non-payment. The Cnews channel is sentenced to a fine of 3,000 euros, as requested during the prosecutor’s requisitions.
In a statement posted on Twitter, Eric Zemmour judged “ideological and stupid” his conviction.
We want the end of this system which every day tightens the tourniquet on freedom of expression and democratic debate. This system manufactures crime of opinion in an industrial way. There is an urgent need to drive ideology out of the courts. Justice must become Justice again. pic.twitter.com/KDyXiFK0oj
— Eric Zemmour (@ZemmourEric) January 17, 2022
Thirty associations had become civil parties, including SOS Racisme, the Human Rights League (LDH) and the Licra, as well as around twenty departmental councils – unaccompanied minors being taken care of by the child welfare, managed by the departments.
Arié Alimi, lawyer for the LDH, hailed the decision in front of the press “important”. “Behind this media project, there is a political project, it is a hate project, a project that tends to stigmatize people because of their origin, because of their confession, their race”, did he declare.