Former French Politician Faces Jail Time for Islamophobic Tweet About Christchurch Attack

"An eye for an eye." This was one tweet too many for Catherine Blein, a regional councilor of Brittany ex-RN. She was reacting to the massacre of 51 Muslims that occurred in March in Christchurch, New Zealand, reports Le Point. Her "knee-jerk reaction" provoked the anger of the National Observatory against Islamophobia linked to the French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM) which did not hesitate to bring her to justice.

Elected today as a non-registered, "identitarian above all", Catherine Blein explained herself on Thursday, November 28, before the criminal court of Saint-Brieuc. The police had questioned her before her appearance. The regional councilor of Brittany ex-RN had admitted to having made exaggerated remarks. Similarly, she seemed to make amends before the court, the same source specifies.

However, this posture of the elected official did not apparently convince the prosecution. It requested eight months of suspended prison and three years of ineligibility against the defendant. As for Me Khadija Aoudia, lawyer for the association against Islamophobia, she had pleaded for the apology of terrorism, incitement to discrimination, hatred or violence. The judgment is expected on January 23, 2020.