French mayor faces €1,800 fine for inciting hate against Muslim students

Last year, a far right French mayor incited hatred against Muslims by making remarks such as there are too many Muslim children at the schools in his city. These remarks caused him to appear in court.

Robert Ménard, mayor of the southern town of Béziers appeared before Paris Criminal court on Wednesday for the launch of his incitement of hatred trial in relation to the statements he made in 2016.

“In a class in the city center of my town, 91 per cent of the children are Muslims. Obviously, this a problem,” he said in an interview to the French News channel LCI in September.



“These classes represent the most striking proof of the #GreatReplacement in progress. Just look at old class photos,” Ménard tweeted in the same month on the first day of school.

Ménard faces a €1800 fine to be payable within 60 days, if he is found guilty and can face a prison term too if he refuses to pay up.

The prosecutor argued that by making such remarks, the mayor portrayed children as a burden for the national community.

The prosecutor said that Ménard reduced the children to their religion, regardless of whether they are French nationals or do not practice this religion.

“I do not find it desirable for children and their mothers that there are ghetto schools. And to find solutions, it is necessary to say what it is,” Ménard said.



Ménard’s lawyer demanded the court to clear him of all charges unless it wants to be known for pronouncing a “death penalty for freedom of thought.”

This is not the only scandal that has engulfed the controversial mayor. In May 2015, Ménard was accused of racism after he counted the names of school children to determine how many of them were Muslims.

Whereas in September 2015, Ménard caused outrage after a video emerged of him going around Syrian refugees’ houses telling them, “You are not welcome in this town.”