France’s Marine Le Pen on trial over anti-Muslim hate speech
The leader of France’s far-right National Front party, Marine Le Pen, is put on trial for hate speech after making derogatory statements about Muslims and their religious rituals.
The French politician arrived in court on Tuesday in the city of Lyon. She faces charges of “incitement to discrimination, violence or hatred towards a group of people on the basis of their religion,” leveled against her by four anti-racism and human rights groups.
"I have the right, as a political leader, to evoke a crucial issue and it's even a duty for me to do it,” Le Pen told reporters, while describing herself as a victim of "judicial persecution.”
While addressing a party rally in Lyon in 2010, Le Pen had, in offensive remarks, compared to the occupation by the Nazis Muslim worshipers praying in the streets in three French cities due to a lack of mosques or a lack of space in local prayer rooms.
“I’m sorry, but for those who really like to talk about the Second World War, if we’re talking about occupation, we can also talk about this while we’re at it, because this is an occupation of territory,” she said.
Le Pen lost her European Parliament immunity over the comments in 2013.
If found guilty, she would face up to a year in jail and a fine of 45,000 euros (USD 51,000).
In the run-up to regional elections in December, she is trying to garner more votes by taking advantage of the influx of refugees and asylum seekers to Europe, which has created a crisis for the continent. She has called the crisis a "migratory submersion."
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