French Mayor Cleared of Hate Speech Charges Over Muslim Student Comments

2,000 euros in fines. The penalty that Robert Ménard, Mayor of Béziers, narrowly escaped for "incitement to hatred and discrimination". This was on Tuesday, June 4, at the Court of Cassation in Paris. The International League against Racism and Anti-Semitism (Licra), the Movement against Racism and for Friendship between Peoples (Mrap), the League of Human Rights, "Sos racisme" and the "Maison des Potes" were among the seven organizations that had filed a complaint against the former president of Reporters Without Borders.

Indeed, among other publications and statements, Robert Ménard had stated on September 5, 2016, on a French television channel: "In a downtown class of mine, 91% of Muslim children. Of course, that’s a problem." This led to his conviction to the indicated penalty, in April 2017, by the Paris Criminal Court.

The elected official therefore appealed and, in 2018, the Paris Court of Appeal ruled in his favor, arguing that the various statements of the Mayor did not, even subtly, call for hatred and discrimination for the offense of "incitement" to be retained.