The trial scheduled for Tuesday before the Nanterre criminal court of four members and ex-member of the RN, including the former vice-president of the party Steeve Briois, for "
public provocation to discrimination
" and "
complicity
" has been returned.
A fixing hearing will take place on February 7, 2023 to determine the new date of the trial, during which the MEP RN Jean-François Jalkh will be tried for "
public provocation to discrimination
" and Mr. Briois, mayor of Hénin-Beaumont (Pas-de-Calais), for “
complicity
” in this offence.
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Marie-Thérèse Costa-Fesenbeck, deputy mayor of Perpignan, and Sophie Montel, who has since left the party, are also being prosecuted for "
complicity
".
The Maison des Potes association, a civil party in this case, was annoyed at the end of the hearing with an “
interminable delay
” requested from the court by the defense lawyers.
The case began in 2014 with a complaint by the Maison des Potes against those responsible for the publication of the "
Practical Guide to the National Front elected municipal
official ".
In this document published before the municipal elections of March 2014, the National Front (now National Rally) recommended that its candidates "
defend the national priority, for example in the allocation of social housing
" and its future elected officials to "
demand
" its application.
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According to the investigation, the text had been written by Sophie Montel at the request of Steeve Briois, then secretary general of the party.
The latter explained during the investigation that Ms. Montel had written and distributed this guide alone, the content of which he had not validated.
Ms. Costa-Fesenbeck is suspected of having posted the document on the website of the Pyrénées-Orientales federation, which she then headed.
Jean-François Jalkh, then director of publications of the FN, disputes for his part “
any responsibility
” in this affair, his lawyer told AFP.
Of the four defendants, only Sophie Montel was present at the hearing on Tuesday.