Apology for terrorism: a knock-on polemic against rebellious France

The controversy before the facts. The reactions to the latest bill from France Insoumise provide a sad example of the state of our public debate. Originally, a text tabled in the National Assembly by the FI deputy of the North Ugo Bernalicis, which proposes to remove the offense of apologizing for terrorism created by a law of 2014. The rebels argue that in this matter it there is already “the law of July 29, 1881 dealing with facts relating to the offenses of apologizing for crime, apologizing for war crimes, apologizing for crimes against humanity”. A duplicate, therefore, and an open door to abuse.

Trade unionists and community activists sentenced

“The means of the fight against terrorism in France have regularly been diverted from their purpose by the governments in place to repress freedom of expression”explain the deputies in the explanatory memorandum of the proposed law. CGT trade unionists and community activists were in fact convicted of this offense, particularly because of their commitment to Gaza. Its main instigator at the time, the former anti-terrorism judge Marc Trévidic, himself became very critical of a judicial system which leads to “real abuse”according to him: “A simple tag in support of Palestine puts you at risk of prison. (…) The apology for terrorism should have been left in the press law and a repressive text specially dedicated to jihadist propaganda sites should have been enacted. », he explained in the columns of Humanityin October.

Clearly, the signatories of the FI bill are not seeking to ensure that the apology for terrorism is no longer condemned, but that the abuses cease. A critical assessment of the 2014 law which does not bother the right and the extreme right, who have glimpsed in the awkward title of the text (“repeal the offense of glorifying terrorism from the Penal Code”) a boulevard to discredit political adversaries.

Thus, the Minister of the Interior Bruno Retailleau estimates “that one could hardly do more vile” that this law, when his ex-colleague from LR, now placed in the orbit of the National Rally, Éric Ciotti, speaks “one more infamy of the rebels”. “We just want to put this offense back in the right place.”replied Mathilde Panot, president of the FI group in the National Assembly.