Eric Zemmour once again has an appointment with justice. The presidential candidate must be tried on appeal this Thursday for contesting crimes against humanity. He argued in October 2019 on CNews that Marshal Philippe Pétain had “saved” French Jews.
Eric Zemmour will not be present at the hearing before the Paris Court of Appeal, scheduled for 1:30 p.m., said Olivier Pardo. His lawyer hopes to obtain a dismissal, in the context of the presidential election, for what he describes as a “crime of opinion”, he said.
A debate with Bernard-Henri Lévy
This new judicial appointment comes three days after the conviction of Eric Zemmour for incitement to hatred by the Paris court, for his release on unaccompanied migrant minors. He immediately appealed. In the case of the comments on Pétain “savior” of the Jews, the ex-star columnist of CNews had been acquitted in February 2021, the court considering that they had been pronounced “at the drop of a hat during a debate on the war in Syria”. The court had nevertheless recognized that his words contained “the denial of the participation (of Pétain) in the policy of extermination of the Jews carried out by the Nazi regime”. The prosecution had appealed.
The comments were made in 2019 during a debate on CNews against the philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy. “One day, in another broadcast, you dared to say that Pétain had saved the French Jews. It’s a monstrosity, it’s revisionism”, had carried away “BHL”. “It’s once again the real, I’m sorry,” replied the polemicist.
At the hearing in first instance in December 2020, Éric Zemmour defended himself from any challenge to crimes against humanity and considered that the debate on the role of Vichy towards French Jewish citizens should be decided by historians and not by justice. Sabrina Goldman, lawyer for the Licra, civil party alongside other anti-racist associations, had denounced a judgment “which recognizes the negationist nature of the remarks but pronounced the release even though the polemicist had confirmed, even aggravated, his remarks during his hearing ” .
The controversial outings of Eric Zemmour, 63, forced to leave CNews in mid-September because of his presidential ambitions, have earned him around fifteen lawsuits over the past ten years. Released several times, he was sentenced three times for incitement to hatred.