French Leader Acquitted of Incitement over Muslim-Nazi Comparison
A French court on Tuesday acquitted French right-wing leader Marine Le Pen of incitement to hatred after she compared Muslim street prayers to the Nazi occupation in World War Two.
Le Pen made the comment on the campaign trail in December, 2010. Three months before the incident, CBN News first brought to television the scenes of Muslims blocking streets of Paris during Friday prayers.
A court in Lyon ruled that Ms. Le Pen had committed no hate offense because she made no specific reference to Muslims. The prosecutor had requested acquittal on grounds of freedom of expression.
Four anti-racism associations had filed a complaint after Le Pen said at a 2010 political rally in the southeast city of Lyon that Muslim street prayers could be compared to the Nazi occupation of France.
Le Pen had faced up to a year in prison and a 45,000-euro ($50,000) fine if convicted. Her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, has been convicted several times of the same charge but never imprisoned.
"Street prayers are illegal," Le Pen said during her Oct. 20 trial. "It is a way to corner ... a territory in order to impose a religious law there. I am within my rights, as a political leader, to discuss a fundamental issue."
In 2013, the European Parliament voted to lift the immunity of Le Pen, a European lawmaker, paving the way for the legal proceedings in Lyon.
The ruling came two days after Le Pen's anti-immigration National Front party gained a record number of votes but still suffered a stinging defeat in France's regional election.
