Marine Le Pen and Gilbert Collard who were prosecuted for having posted 2015 photos of Daesh abuses on Twitter were released by the Nanterre court.
The 14th correctional chamber explained its judgment by respecting the freedom of expression of the two elected representatives of the National Rally.
The court also recognized "an informative vocation" in the dissemination of these images, which "is part of a process of political protest".
Broadcasting “contributes to public debate” as long as it does not “trivialize” violence.
“Daesh, that's it!
"
The president of the RN and the MEP were prosecuted for disseminating violent messages or seriously undermining human dignity, likely to be seen by a minor. In a France traumatized by the attacks, Marine Le Pen had relayed a few weeks after the attacks of November 2015, three photos of abuses by Daesh. She added the words: “Daesh, that's it! ", In response to journalist Jean-Jacques Bourdin whom she accused of having" compared "the EI group and the National Front during a program.
Gilbert Collard, then deputy of Gard, had relayed the same day on his Facebook and Twitter accounts the photo of a man lying on the ground, his skull smashed, with this comment: “Bourdin compares the FN to Daesh: the weight of words and the shock of sores!
".
The prosecution requested a 5,000 euros fine against Ms. Le Pen and Gilbert Collard.
"No proselytizing character"
On Tuesday, the court considered that the dissemination of these images constituted a “coherent” response from Ms. Le Pen to “a controversial attack”.
In addition, the court ruled that the broadcast had "no proselytizing character since the images were accompanied by comments" written by elected officials who did not "trivialize" or "presented in a favorable light the violence".
The court therefore released the two defendants, to the great satisfaction of their lawyers, present at the deliberation.
"It is a great victory for the law because freedom of expression was at stake in this file, this freedom of expression was recognized as total for a first rank political official", declared to the press Rodolphe Bosselut, advice from Marine Le Pen.
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