A French court on Wednesday, April 9, handed down an eight-month suspended sentence to a 76-year-old man over a death threat against the judge who convicted far-right leader Marine Le Pen.
Last week Le Pen was given a partly suspended jail term, a fine of 100,000 euros, and an immediate ban on taking part in elections for five years after being convicted for a scheme under which the EU parliament paid assistants who were actually working for her party. The bombshell ruling could crush the 56-year-old's dream of winning the French presidency in 2027.
A day after the judgement Gerard B., a pensioner from the town of La Garenne-Colombes outside Paris, posted a message on X with a photo of a guillotine accompanied by the words: "What this bitch deserves." On Wednesday, he was found guilty of contempt and incitement to murder. As well as the suspended sentence, he was fined 3,000 euros.
The defendant, who was born in French-ruled Algeria in 1948 and who arrived in France at the age of 14, tried to convince the court that his message did not constitute a form of threat. The supporter of the far-right said the photo of the guillotine was for him "a symbol of justice, and I wanted to say that some magistrates perhaps deserve to be judged".
During the investigation, the accused, who had no criminal record, attributed the message to "anger" and maintained that one can "say anything" on social networks.
"In France, there are people who have had their heads cut off," said the prosecutor, in apparent reference to teacher Samuel Paty who was beheaded by an Islamist militant outside Paris in 2020 after showing his class cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed. "Sitting at home behind your phone, in comfort, you may not be taking any risks, but it is a temptation for violent people or those with mental health problems."
The defence lawyer countered that "we are not dealing with an account with thousands of followers", adding that the "impact of his comments is almost zero".
At the time of the trial, the post had had only 200 views.
Since the conviction of Le Pen, the judges who handed down the decision have received threats. The head judge, financial crime expert Benedicte de Perthuis, is receiving protection, including increased patrols and regular rounds around her home.