Apology for terrorism on Facebook: Sainte-Luce resident sentenced to eight months in custody and expelled from Martinique
Patrick M. was sentenced to 12 months in prison, of which eight in custody, for apology for terrorism following Facebook posts. He is also banned from residing in Martinique for three years.
Twelve months in prison and territorial ban for Facebook posts deemed terrorist
Patrick M., a resident of Sainte-Luce, was sentenced to 12 months in prison, of which eight months in custody, for "apology for terrorism", reports la1ere.franceinfo.fr. The court simultaneously imposed a ban on residing in Martinique for three years, ineligibility for ten years, deprivation of civil rights for ten years and socio-judicial monitoring for three years. An obligation to undergo treatment and a ban on using social media for six months complete the sentence.
The eight months in custody could, however, be subject to adjustment through electronic monitoring, with the decision falling to the judge overseeing the application of sentences.
Facebook posts following the Trappes attack
The facts date back to an attack that occurred in Trappes, in the Yvelines, on 23 October, which cost one person their life and injured five others. In the hours that followed, Patrick M. posted on Facebook: "There should be more Kevin" and "That's good, the great clean-up is about to begin".
These messages provoked significant indignation in Sainte-Luce. Residents had gathered outside his home, and local elected officials had publicly reacted.
The reach of social media at the heart of the judgment
Maître Max Bellemare, lawyer for one of the civil parties, emphasised the significance of this decision following the hearing: "It must be understood that he was sentenced to prison, certainly with a part suspended, to a ban from Martinique and to accessory penalties such as ineligibility."
For him, the dissemination of such statements on social media multiplies its gravity tenfold: "When you write it for it to be read by thousands of people around the world, since he posts it on social media, it becomes very, very serious."
Maître Bellemare also rejected the defence argument invoking Patrick M.'s marriage to a Black man as proof of the absence of racism, maintaining that personal relationships are not sufficient to rule out racist ideas.
The defence invokes the influence of the far right
Maître Camille Célénice, lawyer for Patrick M., expressed dissatisfaction with the verdict. According to him, his client had been influenced by the political climate and the discourse of the French far right: "No, I am not satisfied. It is not bad, but in reality, I think we were wrong about this man. He was deceived by other people, by the atmosphere that exists with the French far right. He was talking about rioters. He was not talking about race. He was talking about rioters, looters, etc."
To support his defence, Maître Célénice mentioned his client's marriage to a "Black Cuban" as well as his membership of the "homosexual minority", elements he considered incompatible with accusations of racism. He also insisted on how long the person in question had been living on the island: "He is someone who had been in Martinique for 14 years, who never had any problems with anyone in Martinique."
The lawyer concluded by stating that his client regrets his posts: "He ruined his life with statements he did not think through", himself describing their content as "unspeakable".
A signal against online hate
For Maître Bellemare, this conviction should recall the limits of freedom of expression: "The signal is to say that we let nothing pass." He called for a firm response to the dissemination of hateful speech, particularly in the context of the "rise of the far right": "There is freedom of expression, but there is a limit to freedom of expression, we cannot allow ourselves to say everything."
Patrick M. has ten days in which to lodge an appeal.
Source: Google News MQ — Crime