Leader of the French National Front Facing Racism Charges

Reason

Marine Le Pen, the leader of the xenophobic French National Front party, is facing racism charges after she compared Muslims praying on the streets to Nazi occupation. Le Pen had enjoyed protection from prosecution because she is a Member of the European Parliament. However, a secret European parliamentary committee vote removed this protection.

From the BBC:

French far-right leader, Marine Le Pen, could face criminal charges for inciting racism, the BBC has learnt.

The French authorities opened a case against Mrs Le Pen in 2011 after she likened the sight of Muslims praying in the streets to the Nazi occupation of France.

As a European Parliament member (MEP), she enjoyed immunity from prosecution.

However, this protection was removed by a European parliamentary committee in a secret vote this week.

Follow this story and more at Reason 24/7.

Spice up your blog or Website with Reason 24/7 news and Reason articles. You can get the widgets here. If you have a story that would be of interest to Reason's readers please let us know by emailing the 24/7 crew at [e-mail], or tweet us stories at @reason247.

Comments

[Tonio]

However, a secret European parliamentary committee vote removed this protection.

You know who else used secret tribunals?

[Almanian!]

The US Government?

[Tonio]

Heh.

[Kenner]

"secret European parliamentary committee" is headed by Dean Warmer with back up from the Omega house (sounds realistic & ominous).

Thought Police/Free Speech under attack by EU and no one cares, sounds like Nazis to me..."offending" someone should not be a crime.

More speech, not censorship, is the answer.

[Tonio]

Kenner, you blew the Wormer reference in your first paragraph, and Godwinned out in the second.

Son, fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life.

[Pro Libertate]

Wait, what? I thought we were the French National Front.

[Tonio]

No, we're the National Front of France, FNF is over there. [points, gestures] Splitter!

[seguin]

People's Front! *eyeroll*

[Almanian!]

The National French Front. Get it right, moran!

[DJF]

When did Muslim become a race?

[Almanian!]

About the same time evnironmentalism became a religion, I reckon.

[Fist of Etiquette]

As far as the French are concerned, isn't racism judged on a curve?

[Lyle]

What side is Reason on? This article doesn't make it so clear.

[?Ex Nihilo?]

What side is Reason on? This article doesn't make it so clear.

My guess would be the free speech side.

[Old Johnnie Goggabie]

But... but... but.... RACIST!!!!!

[Almanian!]

This is just good, solid reporting. No editorial here!

Reason Reports - YOU Decide...How Racist This Fucking Racist Mean Bitch Is!

[Zeb]

Seems like they are just reporting the story.

I have no doubt that no reason staffer would support prosecuting anyone for saying racist (or anti-muslim) things.

[Episiarch]

However, this protection was removed by a European parliamentary committee in a secret vote this week.

They have secret votes on their own immunity to prosecution for things that shouldn't be crimes? I'm sure that can't be abused, no sir.

[Pro Libertate]

Yes, but Star Chambers are so cool. Look at the cool clothes they wear.

[Episiarch]

Fuck, you're such a square. Those clothes aren't cool. Michael Douglas and Hal Holbrook look like old fuddy-duddies. I mean, it was 1983, dude.

[Pro Libertate]

That was a red herring. The whole movie was intended to distract people from the reality. Think more Stonecutters.

[Killazontherun]

Or the Thalmor. Now those are some pretty nice threads to loot. You know it counts as a murder against your character to kill one? A bounty even! Foreign agents come mill about, harassing and arresting your people for worshiping the god of their choice, and when you take to a policy of killing on sight, you are treated like a common criminal.

[GetABrainMorans]

I make it a policy to kill them wherever I find them... even in the Understone Keep where there are 50 billion guards

[BakedPenguin]

"Who rigs every racist trial?
Who keeps Europe in denial?
We do, we do."

[Killazontherun]

Oh, those Stonecutters. I thought Pro Lib was making a Thief series reference.

[BakedPenguin]

Either way we're covered, Killaz.

[PapayaSF]

+1

[PS]

Immunity from prosecution is supposed to be for graft only, a la Chirac, ?dith Cresson, et al.

[UnCivilServant]

Well, After 'guilty until proven innocent' in French law, I find it hard to think less of them then I already do. They prove once again their incapacity to get even the basics right. Hyperbole is not a crime.

[Nikki says you caddie well]

Why is hating Nazis still allowed? Or is it not, thereby collapsing the whole charge in on itself, because she was trying to compare one thing to another thing that's bad, but is not allowed to say either is bad?

[UnCivilServant]

It's not just allowed, but mandated in european law.

[Pro Libertate]

It's all about branding.

[Killazontherun]

I doubt if it has as much to do with ideology as it does with Saudi money spread out in a political system with weak to non existent protections for civil liberties.

[Siamclipx.com]

Racial issues. Is unsolvable.

[T]

Marine's joined the National Front
She always was a little runt
She's got her fist in the air with the other cunts

Other than that, I got nothing.

[BakedPenguin]

If we're talking about fascist politicians, Alessandra Mussolini's the real babe. (NSFW)

[Killazontherun]

I wonder if Franco's kids look even half as nice.

[Killazontherun]

grandkids

[BakedPenguin]

Not quite, but she's a bit older. (SFW)

[Wintermute]

I am very concerned with the loss of free speech worldwide. We should never have stayed silent about Germany banning speech by those durn Nazis, for example; those crows come home to roost. Which cartoonist wrote "We have met the enemy, and he is us"? TY Bing: Walt Kelly in Pogo.

[MasterDarque]

Thankfully Morrissey warned me about these assholes long ago http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZA4I0rfKfnc

[Emmerson Biggins]

Does this mean when opponents falsely analogize them with Nazis, they are also committing a crime?

[PapayaSF]

Aside from the free speech aspect of this, it's also an entirely ex post facto application of the law. It's ridiculous to charge someone with a crime if it wasn't a crime when they did it.

[LilDebbie]

Because Islam is a race.

The longer this crap goes on the better I understand the rise of the National Socialists. If you had to put up with this crap constantly, you really have no choice but to take political control and if the courts constantly subvert the popular will, then the knives come out...

And since no one reads their history, we'll continue doing this again and again and again and again...

[PapayaSF]

Leftists don't seem to notice that right-wing extremists seem to pop up in reaction to communists and other left-wing movements. Without the USSR and Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht, the Nazi Party would never have gotten anywhere. The semi-fascist party in Greece is only succeeding because socialism there is failing. Franco and Pinochet arose in reaction to communist/socialist forces. Etc.