22 Dec 2022; MEMO: The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on Tuesday rejected the appeal of far-right French politician, Eric Zemmour, against his conviction in 2017 for inciting discrimination and religious hatred against Muslims in France.
On Twitter, the EU court said that it found the far-right Zemmour had made claims that could inflame tensions surrounding the Muslim community in France.
According to the statement, the ECHR justified Zemmour's conviction by a French court on the grounds that this was necessary "to protect the rights of others which were at stake."
The Criminal Court in Paris convicted Zemmour of inciting discrimination and hatred during his appearance on a popular TV programme in September 2016.
On the show, Zemmour portrayed Muslims living in France as "colonisers" and "invaders" on a mission to "Islamise" the country, stating that they should make "a choice between Islam and France."
He was initially fined €5,000 ($5,325) in 2017 for inciting discrimination and hatred on grounds of origin and religion. However, the Paris Court of Appeal reversed parts of the verdict and reduced the fine to €3,000 ($3,195).
The statement said: "The aggressive, sweeping assertion that France was being 'colonised by Muslims' had been deployed with discriminatory intent and not for the sole purpose of sharing an opinion about the rise of religious fundamentalism in France's peri-urban neighbourhoods."
Zemmour has previously been sentenced following charges of "incitement to racial discrimination" on numerous occasions since 2011.
