France Passes Law Criminalizing Online Hate Speech After Teacher’s Murder

The article that has just been adopted, called "Samuel Paty", after the name of a history teacher whose murder last October, after showing caricatures in the context of a course on freedom of expression, had caused an outcry in France, was voted by 97 votes in favor, 10 against and 9 abstentions, after intense debates. Thus, the new offense established by Article 18 of the draft law on the "respect of the values of the Republic" mainly targets radical Islamism and will be punishable by three years’ imprisonment and a fine of 45,000 euros.

Moreover, while its opponents find in it a new assembly of the controversial Article 24 of the "global security" bill, related to the malicious dissemination of images of law enforcement officers in action, denounced as infringing on freedom of expression, the article represents the result of "the factual examination of the elements of the Samuel Paty case", and the obligation to fight against "an infernal mechanism that goes through social networks", estimated the Minister of Justice, Eric Dupond-Moretti.

To recall, on Thursday, the National Assembly unanimously gave its authorization for the new offense of "separatism", a key decision of the draft law "strengthening respect for the principles of the Republic", initiated by French President Emmanuel Macron. According to the Executive, the draft law aims to "fight against separatism and attacks on citizenship". This project will provide clarifications on "community withdrawal and the development of radical Islamism, by strengthening respect for republican principles and by amending the laws on cults".