Far-Right Activist Given Suspended Sentence for Racist Mosque Vandalism in Eastern France

18 months of suspended prison sentence with probation for two years and five years of deprivation of civil rights. This is the sentence imposed on this far-right activist, former candidate in the departmental elections affiliated with the Rassemblement national (RN), prosecuted for racist tags on mosques in the Doubs.

The sentence did not delight the leaders of the associations and mosques that were defaced and had joined as civil parties. "We would have liked a custodial sentence, even a short one, to be pronounced, given the seriousness of the facts," said Khalid Jarmouni, the president of the Islamic Cultural Center of Franche-Comté (CCIFC), manager of the Fontaine Ecu mosque. "We hope that this young man will be able to bounce back, and that one day he may perhaps apologize," he added.

Samuel Thomas, general delegate of the National Federation of Maisons des Potes (FNMDP), who had also joined as a civil party, hopes that people who aspire to a political career and who convey such ideas will always be denounced and declared ineligible.

The defendant had admitted the facts, stating that "the Muslim religion is not compatible with the values of France" and that "mosques, that’s not France". During his arrest, the police found a copy of Mein Kampf at his home, but he claimed "not to adhere to the ideas" of Adolf Hitler. He admits, however, to having left the RN at the end of 2021 because he considers the party "too lax".

But once in court, he declared to have "committed a stupid act". "I understand the pain of the Muslim community. I never wanted them to feel threatened," he added. For his part, Khalid Jarmouni hopes that "this conviction will appease the faithful of our community, some of whom have grandparents who participated in the liberation of France during the Second World War".