Migrant rights activist Cédric Herrou was sentenced on Tuesday by the Aix-en-Provence Court of Appeal to a fine of 2,000 euros suspended for public insult against MP LR Eric Ciotti, we learn from of his lawyer.
Read also: Aquarius: Cédric Herrou released for insulting MP LR Eric Ciotti
In 2018, in the midst of a diplomatic crisis in Europe, following Italy's refusal to welcome the humanitarian ship L'Aquarius with 630 migrants on board, Eric Ciotti expressed his understanding regarding the Italian position, calling on CNews to return to Libya boats coming to the aid of migrants.
Cédric Herrou then reacted by posting a tweet on June 12, 2018: “
I found the biggest French pig that welcomes all the miserability in the world !!
@ECiotti world champion !!!
"The next day, the activist farmer from the La Roya valley posted on his account:"
When @ECiotti said in 2018 let's put the migrants in Libya he would say in 1940 let's put them in the gas chambers
".
After a complaint with the constitution of civil party filed by the boss of the Republicans in the Alpes-Maritimes for public insult and defamation against a citizen in charge of a public mandate, Cédric Herrou was released on July 8, 2020 by the criminal court of Grasse des two prosecution counts.
Referring to the remarks denounced by the elected as insulting, the court considered that this exchange was part of the political criticism between "
a person particularly committed in the context of aid to migrants
" and "
a political figure of importance in the landscape French policy
”.
The judges thus noted that "
if this criticism was expressed in the form of a play on words - port and pork - of doubtful taste, it is undoubtedly of a political nature
".
The Aix-en-Provence Court of Appeal only reversed the Grasse judgment for injury and confirmed the release of Cédric Herrou for defamation.
"
It is unfortunate that the court of appeal did not have the wisdom of the trial judges who had released Cédric Herrou for the two tweets
", told AFP his lawyer Me Sabrina Goldman who announced the filing an appeal in cassation.
"
Cédric Herrou had reacted to a much more serious and perfectly unworthy provocation on the part of Eric Ciotti
", she adds.
In a brief press release, the LR deputy "
welcomes this decision
" and announces that he will donate to the support fund for the valleys of the Alpes-Maritimes the damages awarded to him by the court.
