Populist leader Marine Le Pen has been cleared of violating hate speech laws after she was ludicrously charged for posting images of ISIS atrocities in an effort to illustrate the barbarity of ISIS. Le Pen originally posted the images in 2015 as a rebuttal to comparisons that were being made between her National Front party and Islamic jihadists.
“This is what Daesh is,” she wrote under the photos, which showed ISIS militants executing people.
Despite posting the photos in an effort to denounce ISIS, Le Pen was accused of “disseminating violent messages that could seriously harm human dignity,” a charge that was never applied to media outlets or journalists who shared similar photos.
While anything other than an acquittal would have been incomprehensible, the fact that it took over 5 years to happen is absurd and undoubtedly related to Le Pen’s hostility to the French establishment.
Le Pen, who has vowed to ban “Islamist ideologies” and restrict wearing of the hijab in public places, is once again expected to end up in an election run off with President Emanuel Macron, with the vote set to take place in April next year.
As we previously highlighted, it appears as though a growing segment of the French population shares her concerns.
A poll released last week found that a majority of French people support the sentiments expressed in a letter signed by active duty and retired members of the military warning that the country is heading towards a “civil war” caused by failed multiculturalism and attacks on French identity.