Éric Zemmour was found guilty this Wednesday of complicity in public defamation against LFI MP Danièle Obono and sentenced by the Paris criminal court to a suspended fine of 1,000 euros.
The facts date back to August 2020. During the program “Face à l'info”, on the CNews channel, hosted by the unsuccessful candidate for the 2022 presidential election, the latter attacked the caricatured rebelliousness in slavery a few days before the broadcast by the far-right weekly Valeurs Actuelles.
The polemicist had notably accused the parliamentarian “of refusing to say
Vive la France
on television”, “of organizing meetings forbidden to whites” and “of saying all her love for Mohammed Merah, who kills Jewish children”.
For the court, there is no “factual basis” to corroborate these assertions.
Therefore, “the defendants will not be able to benefit from the excuse of good faith”, underlined the 17th chamber of the Paris judicial court.
The publishing director of CNews also sentenced
The publishing director of CNews, for his part, was found guilty of public defamation and sentenced to the same sentence as Éric Zemmour.
The two men will also have to jointly pay 1,000 euros to Danièle Obono in damages.
The court also ordered CNews to delete the video from the program “Face à l'info” where the “recognized defamatory” comments were made within 15 days following the date on which the court's decision became final.