Éric Zemmour in court. The far-right polemicist and hypothetical presidential candidate Éric Zemmour is summoned, Wednesday, November 17, to the Paris Criminal Court to be tried for his comments on unaccompanied minor migrants, whom he described on CNews as “thieves, rapists and murderers”.
>> Eric Zemmour judged for his comments on unaccompanied minors: where are the legal proceedings against the polemicist?
However, he will not come to the hearing, which opens at 9:30 am, and will be represented by his lawyers, one of them told AFP. “He will not be present, in order to prevent the judicial compound from turning into a continuous news TV studio”, said Master Olivier Pardo.
Thirty civil parties
The young supporters of Eric Zemmour, “Generation Z”, have planned a rally in front of the court at 8:45 am. Accustomed to controversial outings and legal proceedings, Eric Zemmour has this time been summoned by the prosecution for complicity in provocation to racial hatred and racial insult, for comments made on Cnews on September 29, 2020.
During a debate on the program “Face à l’Info” on unaccompanied minors after an attack in front of the former Charlie Hebdo premises, the columnist said: “They have nothing to do here, they are thieves, they are murderers, they are rapists, that’s all they are, they must be sent back and they must not even come”.
The hearing should have been held on September 8 but was postponed due to the large number of civil parties. About thirty of them were formed, including the SOS Racisme associations, the Human Rights League (LDH) and the Maison des Potes, as well as about twenty departmental councils, unaccompanied minors being taken care of. by social assistance for children, managed by the departments.