Article 25 of the separatism bill becomes article 18

Dupond-Moretti -

A sleight of hand to avoid further controversy.

Article 25 of the bill "consolidating respect for the principles of the Republic" (former law against separatism), dedicated to the repression of hatred online becomes Article 18 in the text presented Wednesday in the Council of ministers.

The goal?

Avoid any "risk of confusion" with the controversial article 24 of the Global Security Act, announced the Minister of Justice Eric Dupond-Moretti.

"There is an article 24 in the Fauvergue law proposal (Global Security), an article now in the hands of parliamentarians (...) There is, but it is luck, an article 25 proposed by the ministry. of justice ”, in the separate bill presented Wednesday, explained Eric Dupond-Moretti on France Inter.

. @ E_DupondM: "I did not create the online hate crime. What I created is a text which concerns endangering the life of others by disclosing information relating to his private life."

# le79Inter pic.twitter.com/dYmfBridIq

- France Inter (@franceinter) December 9, 2020

“I said to myself if we make 24 in one law and 25 in the other, there will be a risk of confusion.

And so this article 25 is called article 18 ”, added the Minister of Justice on the subject of this“ numerological precision ”.

A new crime created

Article 18 (ex-article 25) provides for a “new offense of endangering the life of others by disseminating information relating to the private, family or professional life of a person allowing him to be identified or locate it ”.

This provision was added after the beheading of Professor Samuel Paty in October.

This offense is punished by 3 years imprisonment and a fine of 45,000 euros.

A sentence raised to 5 years in prison and a 75,000 euros fine when the person concerned is the depositary of public authority or responsible for a public service mission.

As for the initial article 24 of the Fauvergue law, known as Global Security, rewritten by parliamentarians following an outcry, it provided for penalizing one year in prison and a fine of 45,000 euros for the dissemination of "The image of the face or any other element of identification" of a police officer or a gendarme in intervention when this is intended to "undermine his physical or mental integrity".

"If you compare the two texts, they have nothing to do", hammered Eric Dupond-Moretti, insisting on the dichotomy between proposal and bill.

Three magistrates, an assistant lawyer and clerks will be dedicated to online hate, said the minister.

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