He explained that he saw red when he discovered a montage on the evolution of man with the singer Soprano.
Kamel Laouadi, a father from Trappes (Yvelines) who had accused his daughter's teacher of racism in 2021, was sentenced to six months in prison by the Versailles Court of Appeal, according to the general prosecutor's office.
At first instance, the criminal court imposed a six-month prison sentence on this 46-year-old man.
On appeal, the court “confirmed the guilt regarding the acts of harassment and overturned the sentence handed down”, which was reduced to six months in prison, the public prosecutor said.
Soprano integrated into a frieze on evolution
During a course given in February 2021, a SVT teacher from an establishment in Trappes used a montage on the evolution of Man which included an image of a monkey and a photo of the singer Soprano.
The father of one of his students called this montage “racist” in a post published on Facebook.
The teacher, who has since changed establishments and regions, then assured that she was using a photo of the French rapper of Comorian origin “to interest the students”.
At first instance, the court mentioned in particular “the context of the terrorist assassination of Professor Samuel Paty (…) in a similar situation of indictment on social networks”.
Samuel Paty was assassinated on October 16, 2020 by a young jihadist of Chechen origin in front of a college in Conflans-Saint-Honorine.
Read alsoThe Trappes teacher had integrated Soprano into a frieze on evolution: the father who had threatened her was retried
“Justice confirms a message of firmness towards online harassers who endanger the lives of teachers,” said one of the teacher’s lawyers, Me Maxime Delacarte.
“The court, however, did not draw compensation from the facts even though they had a very serious impact on the personal and professional life of the teacher,” he added.
Contacted by Le Parisien in January 2022, Stéphanie explained: “I said to myself:
My life is over
.
I was afraid of dying.
»
Ordered at first instance to pay 13,600 euros, the defendant will only have to pay 600 euros in damages to the civil party.
The defendant's counsel, Me Aïley Alagapin-Graillot, recalled for his part that he had not used the name of the professor and was targeting national education.
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“The firm imprisonment was obviously disproportionate” and “we can only rejoice at the moderation shown by the advisers of the court of appeal”, he indicated, reserving the right to appeal cassation.