On February 25, the 17th chamber of the Paris Criminal Court recognized the ex-elected Yvelines Agnès Cerighelli guilty of "insult" and "defamation" against Marlène Schiappa.
A week later, it was the turn of the Minister for Citizenship to be prosecuted for "defamation", before this same chamber, by the far-right writer Renaud Camus.
The three judges, however, decided not to examine the case on the merits this Friday, March 5, preferring to take the time to reflect on the exceptions to incompetence and nullity raised by the defense.
This case has its roots in the massacre that occurred on March 15, 2019 in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Around 50 Muslims were killed in the attack on two mosques by Australian extremist Brenton Tarrant.
Before the events, the latter had posted online a manifesto entitled "The Great Replacement", which he had written himself.
Since then, Brenton Tarrant, described during his trial as
"New Zealand's worst murderer",
has been sentenced to life imprisonment.
Read also: The shock after the attack on two mosques in New Zealand
On February 10, 2020, during a program on CNews in which Éric Zemmour also participated, Marlène Schiappa, then Secretary of State for Equality between Women and Men and the Fight against Discrimination, suggested that Brenton Tarrant carried Renaud Camus' book,
The Great Replacement
.
"She amalgamated my book with the brochure of the same title of the Christchurch killer, in no way inspired by him but by the observation of the same evidence"
, was indignant Renaud Camus on Twitter, before announcing that he was filing a complaint .
Criminal court or CJR?
This Friday, at the Paris court, only Renaud Camus was present, surrounded by his two counsel, Me Yohann Rimokh and Me Stéphane Bonichot.
Marlène Schiappa was for her part represented by her two lawyers.
The first, Me Julia Minkowski, defended an exception of incompetence, believing that his client should be tried by the Court of Justice of the Republic (CJR), since
"we are in the context where a member of the government holds comments related to its anti-discrimination mission ”
.
Read also: What is the Court of Justice of the Republic?
The opposing party supported the opposite thesis.
"I do not believe that commenting on the Christchurch attack is a comment directly linked to the function of Marlène Schiappa, unless Christchurch is in Ille-et-Vilaine!
», Launched Me Rimokh.
"
Does gossiping on a television set constitute the exercise of state conduct?"
.
A question not without interest, which the court will have to decide on April 16, as the exception of nullity defended by Me Eric Morain, the second council of the Minister.
The lawyer considered that the quotation from the opposing party did not allow him to know precisely what was accused of his client.
"What would be defamatory, is it the fact that this book was found on Brenton Tarrant, or that Renaud Camus' writings would have inspired the Christchurch killer? I don't know if I have to defend myself on a purely material level or on an intellectual level
,
”
argued Me Morain.
Response from Me Rimokh:
"We are pursuing Marlène Schiappa because she said that a book by Renaud Camus was found on the killer"
.
Material argument therefore.
However, we can bet that if this trial is held one day, the debate of ideas will not be very far, which promises a hearing to say the least animated.