French Man Faces Legal Action for Criticizing "Islamophobic Climate" in Online Post

"Don’t be passive, choose the right side of French history, because you see, our country is heading straight for the abyss, towards the unspeakable, towards apartheid!"

This is how Hakim Madi, a man involved in local political and associative life in Valence, freely expressed himself on October 14 on the Facebook page of LREM deputy Mireille Clapot.

In his message, the man from Drôme was reacting to Emmanuel Macron’s remarks the day after the attack on the Paris Police Headquarters. The French President had called for "building a society of vigilance" where the French know how to detect "the little gestures that signal a drift away from the laws and values of the Republic".

These remarks were apparently not to the liking of Hakim Madi, who wanted to alert one of the members of Macron’s political family. "I did this so that you could not say that you did not know that your France is following in the footsteps of that of Vichy," he added.

After his message, Hakim Madi exchanged with the LREM elected official. "The President and his clan of ministers are waging a hateful battle against a section of the population," he denounced. As a result, an "Islamophobic and racist climate" is settling in the country.

These "unacceptable remarks lead to pitting the French against each other, and to creating, in our country, a dangerous climate of hatred and violence," reacted Prefect Hugues Moutouh. He refers to the offense of public defamation against persons holding public authority.