Rapper Booba Awaits Verdict in Insult Case Against Ex-Charlie Hebdo Journalist

Booba and Zineb El Rhazoui were absent from Tuesday’s hearing. They were represented by their respective lawyers: Le Bras and Thibault de Montbrial. The facts attributed to the rapper date back to 2019. He had called to make the former Charlie Hebdo journalist’s life miserable. "Let’s make this stinking piece of shit’s life miserable," he had said. These insulting remarks follow a controversial call by Zineb. "The police must shoot live ammunition," the Moroccan journalist had said about an episode of urban violence in Mantes-la-Jolie (Yvelines), provoking strong reactions from Internet users.

"This episode of urban violence was particularly harsh, where police officers were injured," insisted Thibault de Montbrial. "She made the Mantes-la-Jolie event something that has no relevance," on the other hand developed Booba’s lawyer. "You have to have the history in mind. First the arrest of high school students, filmed by the police with their hands on their heads in 2018. Then there were several episodes, until the event of November 6, 2019. Stones thrown at the police who responded with tear gas. But afterwards, when there are injured people after LBD shots, what do these cases become? So when someone says on a TV set that they have to shoot live ammunition..."

A second message posted by the rapper a week after the first added fuel to the fire. "Thousands of messages responded to Booba’s, until a certain Sambo54000 posted Allah will take care of her, relates de Montbrial. And Booba replies: We can start in the meantime, huh, with a thumbs up. For this, we filed a complaint for incitement to murder." He made it known that his client is under police protection. "[...] people who make amalgams consider her an Islamophobe. We have filed 35 complaints for death threats. Booba could not ignore the impact of his reaction, which goes far beyond his stupid remarks," adds Zineb’s lawyer.

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At the end of the hearing, the prosecutor requested a fine of 10,000 euros against the rapper, reports Le Parisien. The verdict is expected on April 4.