France: condemnation of the "anti-negrophobia" activist who had tagged the statue of Colbert
An employee cleans the statue of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, in front of the National Assembly in Paris, partly covered on June 23, 2020 with red paint on the chest and legs and an inscription "—Négrophobie d'Etat—".
AP Photo / Thibault Camus
Text by: RFI Follow
2 min
This Monday, June 28, the Paris Court condemned the anti-negrophobia activist to several financial penalties.
A year ago, on June 23, 2020, the accused Franco Lollia, spokesperson for the anti-negrophobia brigade, had painted the base of the statue of Colbert in red paint in front of the National Assembly.
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Franco Lollia large transparent glasses and T-shirt bearing the effigy of his collective anti-negrophobia brigade, was present to hear the judgment of the Paris court.
The activist will have to pay a fine of 500 euros as well as 1,040 euros to the Assembly, civil party in this case, for material damage.
A decision that does not surprise him.
"
The statue of Colbert is the symbol of crimes against humanity
, he insisted,
and it shows that France has never broken with the
black code
, otherwise it would not tolerate this presence in front of the National Assembly .
So, I am not at all disappointed, because this is the image I had of French justice, democracy and the mask it wears.
"
► To read also: France: opening of the trial of a member of the "Anti-Negrophobia Brigade"
His lawyer Guy Florentin has regrets.
According to him, justice is complicit in a crime against humanity.
While the French state since the Taubira law of May 2001, has recognized trafficking and slavery as a crime.
“
I see that there are now two kinds of justice in France.
One for people who advocate negrophobia on a daily basis and who are never prosecuted or convicted.
And another justice for people who denounce negrophobia, and who they are prosecuted, and who they are condemned.
"
Maître Guy Florentin announced that he would appeal the court decision
► To listen again: Slavery, our history: the 20 years of the Taubira law
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