Paris (AFP)

Two-month suspended prison sentences were requested on Wednesday against all eight defendants, four men and four women, aged 20 to 58, tried before the Paris Criminal Court for posting documents. Anti-Semitic tweets targeting April Benayoum, Miss Provence and first runner-up of Miss France 2021.

“What did we want to do behind these insults? We wanted to tell April Benayoum that no, we should not be proud of our origins, as if it were a taboo subject. 'is also defending freedom of expression, "said the prosecutor.

Tried for "public insults committed on grounds of origin, ethnicity, race or religion", the eight defendants (including seven present at the hearing), all without a criminal record, face one year in prison and a fine of 45,000 euros.

In December 2020, during the Miss ceremony broadcast on TF1, April Benayoum, Miss Provence, explained that her taste for geography was perhaps due to her origins.

Her mother is Serbo-Croatian, her father Israeli-Italian, confided the young woman without suspecting that she would immediately trigger a flood of hate messages against her on Twitter.

"Each of the tweets of the defendants are for me the expression of a minimum contempt or an invective towards a person because of his origin," said the prosecutor.

"I felt extremely bad", had previously indicated at the bar the young woman of 22 years.

"If I am present today it is quite simply because I do not want these people to go unpunished and hidden behind screens," added the young woman in a pink suit jacket and black jeans.

The tweets against him were unambiguous.

"I vote against the Jewess (...) Miss Provence is Israeli this bitch (...) I boycott Israel", read the president of the 17th chamber, quoting the incriminated tweets.

At the hearing, the defendants all admitted to having written offensive remarks ... but none recognized the anti-Semitic nature of the messages posted.

Some have conceded that they acted in the name of the Palestinian cause.

Their lawyers denounced "the political pressure" around this trial while several members of the government had expressed their indignation at the time of the facts.

Most have pleaded for release.

"I tweeted because Israel does not respect fundamental rights (...) I would have done the same for Saudi Arabia or Qatar which are Muslim countries but I did not want to attack a person ", explained at the bar Jasmine B., 23, a podiatrist, whose lawyer specifies that she is" the daughter of a soldier ".

“Was your tweet still a call to boycott Israel?” Asks Jasmine B. Me Muriel Ouaknine-Melki, lawyer for the European Jewish Organization, one of the multiple civil parties in this trial.

- "That's it yes", answers the defendant.

Rayanne M., 23, prefers to play with misunderstanding.

"My tweet (where he called for + vote against the Jewess +) was a troll, nothing serious, nothing anti-Semitic, it was to amuse the gallery", he said before expressing his "big regrets".

- "Where is the humor there?"

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"These are tweets made to the thousandth degree (...) I have always caricatured racists, homophobes, anti-Semites", defends Rayanne, "unemployed for four months".

"It's bad humor", tries the young man.

- "But I do not understand. Where is the humor there?", Interrupts the President of the 17th Chamber.

The young man has no answer.

"I have nothing against the Israelis and the Jewish religion," he said.

Djamila T., 58, posted a photo of Hitler after the words: "me, when I heard the origins of Miss Provence".

Without a lawyer, Djamila expresses herself shakingly.

“Do you know who Hitler was?” Asks the president.

The defendant, widow and housekeeper with a marked Marseille accent, hesitates before answering "I know he went to war"

- "That's all?"

- "Uh ... He was racist towards the Israelis", answers the defendant more and more troubled.

At the helm, April Benayoum said "accept the apologies".

"But, she adds, it spoiled an exceptional adventure. It touched those around me. I have trouble sleeping. When people talk to me in the street, they only talk to me about that, not about the Miss France adventure ".

The date for the decision has been set for November 3.

© 2021 AFP