The former presidential candidate was prosecuted for remarks made in 2019 in which he defended the action of Marshal Pétain during the Second World War.
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The Paris Court of Appeal confirmed, Thursday, May 12, the acquittal pronounced at first instance in favor of Eric Zemmour tried for “disputing a crime against humanity”. He argued in 2019 that Marshal Pétain had “Safe” French Jews during the Second World War, remarks repeated during the 2022 presidential campaign. The former candidate for the presidency of the Republic was not present at the hearing, but his lawyer, Olivier Pardo, expressed his ” immense satisfaction” after the court’s decision.
“This is a message to all those who want to launch infamous attacks, using the dramas of the Second World War for political purposes. It is freedom of expression that has won”, he said as he left the courtroom. Eric Zemmour’s contested remarks date back to October 14, 2019, during a debate, in the program “Face à l’info” of which he was the star columnist on CNews, with Bernard-Henri Lévy. “One day (…) you dared to say that Pétain had saved the French Jews. It’s a monstrosity, it’s revisionism”was indignant Bernard-Henri Levy. “It’s the real again, I’m sorry”had replied Eric Zemmour.
During the trial at first instance, Eric Zemmour defended himself against any challenge to crimes against humanity and considered that the debate on the role of the Vichy regime (1940-1944) towards French Jewish citizens should be settled by the courts. historians and not by justice. In its judgment relaxing him, the court found that the contested words of Zemmour had been made “point-blank during a debate on the war in Syria”. The court nevertheless recognized that his words contained “the denial of the participation (of Pétain) in the policy of extermination of the Jews carried out by the Nazi regime”.
The controversial outings of Eric Zemmour have earned him around fifteen lawsuits, in particular for racial insult, incitement to hatred or contestation of crimes against humanity. He has been convicted several times by criminal courts, the last time in January 2022 for “incitement to hatred and violence” and “public insults towards a group of people because of their origin” for remarks on unaccompanied migrant minors. He appealed against this judgment. He was also definitively sentenced twice for “incitement to hatred”, for remarks made in 2010 and 2016.