French journalist found guilty of passing racial comments

Paris, Feb.19 (ANI): Eric Zemmour, a well-known commentator and coloumnist for Le Figaro, a French daily newspaper, has been found guilty of inciting racial hatred after passing comments that were hurtful for certain ethnic communities.

The French journalist appeared on a chat show last year and when the question of the French police's excessive use of stop and search powers against minorities arose, he said, "But why are they stopped 17 times? Why? Because most dealers are blacks and Arabs. That's a fact."

Zemmour was also fined for telling another TV channel that employers "had a right" to turn down black or Arab candidates.

The Paris trial has sparked debates over freedom of speech and the extent of France's racism problem, which goes against the republican ideal that all citizens are equal regardless of colour, the Guardian reports.

Zemmour prides himself on his outspoken defiance of what he deems is politically correct, and told the court that he was not a "provocateur" but an observer of reality, who refused to bow down in the name of political correctness. (ANI)