The merits of the case will never be judged. The Lille court considered, Tuesday, in its deliberation that the facts were prescribed in the case between Xavier Bertrand and Damien Rieu, former founder of the dissolved small group, Generation Identity.
The president of the Hauts-de-France region accused the far-right activist of defamation for a leaflet entitled “the six Islamic sins of Xavier Bertrand” and distributed during the campaign for the regional elections in May 2021. The leaflet suggested that Xavier Bertrand favored political Islam through his policy to the detriment of the rest of the population.
“Fighting the Far Right”
A hearing had however taken place, last month, on September 6th. But the court concluded that the statute of limitations had passed. He also rejected the request for nullity of the complaint with civil action, raised by the defense of Damien Rieu. The LR boss of Hauts-de-France had filed it in June 2021, before his re-election to the regionals.
Despite this legal setback, Xavier Bertrand assures, in a tweet, that he will continue “to fight the far right, demagoguery and its leaders”. Former spokesperson for Generation Identity, dissolved in March 2021, Damien Rieu remains very active on social networks.