The imam of Beaucaire tried on appeal for advocating terrorism: he refutes any anti-Semitic intention

The imam denies having made comments calling for hatred and asks forgiveness from all those injured. HOCINE ROUAGDIA

The imam of Beaucaire is being tried on appeal this Thursday, February 8 after his sentence to eight months in prison, suspended and banned from practicing law. pronounced on November 2, 2023 after publications on Facebook. He denies having called for hatred of Jews and refutes the apology for terrorism.

The imam of Beaucaire appears this Thursday, February 8 before the Nîmes Court of Appeal for inciting hatred and advocating terrorism. In October 2023, he published comments on Facebook described as an apology for terrorism. The prosecution against him targeted publications in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 

The prefect of Gard, Jérôme Bonet, had reported the facts to the Nîmes public prosecutor's office which had opened an investigation leading to the opening of an investigation and the placement in police custody of the imam upon his arrival. returning from a trip. On October 30, 2023, he was arrested when he got off the plane at Marignane airport (13) by police officers from the Beaucaire-Tarascon police station responsible for investigations. The man was immediately tried in immediate appearance on November 2, 2023. His lawyer, Me Saphia Foughar, had pleaded for his release.

For his part, the imam had contested any intention to make anti-Semitic remarks or to call for "to kill Jews". The defense indicated that the imam had relied on a religious text whose theological basis he did not understand. Last November, the thirty-year-old received an eight-month suspended prison sentence and was banned from practicing as an imam for five years.

This Thursday, the trial before the Correctional Appeals Chamber has just started and the defense lawyer has just indicated that part of the alleged facts was not sufficiently substantiated to allow prosecutions in immediate appearance. 

Two associations have become civil parties, as during the first trial, in this case the national office of vigilance against anti-Semitism (BNVCA) and the European Jewish Organization which are present at the hearing to re-examine this case and these publications dating from October 2023.

The court has just joined the incident to the merits and the nullity raised by the defense will be examined at the same time as the facts alleged against the imam who had benefited from support, considering that until ;rsquo;now he had always spoken moderately.

"Dramatic circumstances of the Hamas attacks"

The president is providing a reminder of the procedure and "dramatic circumstances" attacks "perpetrated by Hamas". The president recalls that the publication takes up a religious text, a hadith, "which is in the statutes of Hamas", specifies the court advisor . He recalls that the very old text calls "to fight the Jews" and kill them. At 11:07 a.m., the president continues the examination of the file.

"We have the impression that you are giving explanations that are not very clear". The imam comes to the stand and assures that he has always condemned terrorism "as we condemned the attack on Charlie Hebdo"< /em>. "Can we believe you ?". "I didn't think it was going to get as big as this". "You are literate, you studied theology in Morocco", adds the magistrate. The imam assures that he published this ancient text.