A French court on Monday, January 17, found far-right presidential candidate Eric Zemmour guilty of inciting racist hatred, France 24 reported.
He was ordered to pay a fine of €10,000 in daily payments of €100 for 100 days. At the same time, if he violates the terms of payments, he can be taken into custody, the channel notes.
Zemmour’s lawyer Olivier Pardo said he would appeal the verdict.
As the BBC notes, responding to the verdict on social media, Zemmour complained that his freedom of speech was being curtailed and said “there is an urgent need to expel ideology from the courts.”
The case was initiated due to an appearance on the CNews channel in September 2020. Then the presidential candidate called unaccompanied migrant children “thieves”, “rapists” and “murderers”.
Prior to that, he had already been accused of inciting hatred on the basis of racial affiliation. So, in 2011, Zemmour was fined €10,000 for stating that “the majority of drug dealers are blacks and Arabs.” After that, in 2018, he had to pay €3,000 for comments about a Muslim “invasion” of France.
Zemmour needs 500 endorsements from elected figures across the country by mid-March to have his name on the ballot in two rounds in April.
Earlier, on January 7, an Ipsos poll showed the high chances of incumbent President Emmanuel Macron for re-election. A study conducted three months before the elections confirms that the head of state can count on 26% of the vote in the first round.
The closest rival of the current leader is the National Rally candidate Marine Le Pen. 17% of voters intend to vote for her. In third place is Republican candidate Valerie Pekress, she claims 16% of the vote. Fourth place in the first round, according to Ipsos forecast, will go to far-right politician Eric Zemmour.
The presidential elections of the Fifth Republic will be held in the spring of 2022: the first round is scheduled for April 10, the second – for the 24th.
Source: IZ
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
