Eric Zemmour On Trial

An article at François Desouche reviews the story of journalist Eric Zemmour's comments about race and crime, a media event from March 2010 that led to a trial for defamation and racial discrimination. The trial is now in session.

The comment that may cost Zemmour some money, if not his personal freedom was:

"French immigrants are more closely monitored than others because most drug dealers are blacks or Arabs... It's a fact."

Another comment he had made earlier may also cost him:

"Employers have the right to refuse Arabs or blacks."

Le Monde posted the following:

SOS-Racism, an anti-racism association, was the first to initiate a lawsuit against the "polemicist".

Note: I have kept the word "polemicist" used by Le Monde, and placed it in quotes, because it does not define Zemmour properly. He simply presents a more realistic point of view, and ipso facto enters into a confrontation. A polemicist is defined and someone who aggressively creates controversy.

According to SOS-Racism, Eric Zemmour's remarks tend to "assimilate the origins of people with criminality," a type of discrimination that carries a criminal sanction. Among the other plaintiffs are MRAP, LICRA, UEJF and J'accuse. Eric Zemmour should be present. He is calling a number of witnesses including deputy Claude Goasguen, journalist Eric Naulleau and Robert Menard, the former general secretary of Reporters Without Borders.

Note: MRAP = Movement against Racism and for Friendship among Peoples; LICRA = International League against Racism and Anti-Semitism; UEJF = Union of Jewish Students of France.

Last March, in a long letter addressed to the president of LICRA, Eric Zemmour said he was sorry his remarks had upset some people, but he stood by them. Eric Zemmour had been supported by the general advocate of the Paris appeals court, Philippe Bilger, who in turn was summoned to explain himself to the Paris district attorney ("procureur général") (...) In a blog entry dated March 17, 2010, Philippe Bilger wrote: "All blacks and Arabs are not drug dealers, but many drug dealers are blacks or Arabs." He spoke of statistics that attempt "to cover up what is staring you right in the face" and of "censorship that forbids one to clearly broach such subjects."

Here again is the video (which I had posted last year) of Eric Zemmour making his comment about race and criminality. Click the link to last year's post for a transcript of the video - it is the last part of the article.



The trial against Eric Zemmour began Tuesday January 11 and will conclude Thursday January 13. François Desouche gives a summary of the first day:

Journalist Eric Zemmour (...) vigorously defended his position, insisting he was not a "provocateur" but an honest observer of reality.

"When you describe reality, you are criminalized," the journalist said regretfully, his jaws clenched and his tone combative.

"I do not provoke and I am for freedom of expression," declared Eric Zemmour, one of the most famous "polemicists" in France, who believes that anti-racist organizations do nothing except "criminalize words that do not bow down to political correctness."

"Reality does not exist for these gentlemen," he added, speaking of the organization leaders. "They have to take refuge inside the ideologies they created thirty years ago (...) Those who leave are treated as provocateurs at best, or as Nazis at worst."

Rue 89 reports another interesting aspect of the trial - a letter written by former Interior Minister Jean-Pierre Chevènement in defense of Eric Zemmour. The lawyer for SOS-Racism, Paul Klugman, saw to it that the letter could not be used as evidence because the author had not taken an oath before writing it. The key passage in the letter reads:

"All you have to do, as I have done, is to consult the listings of the DCS (Central Security Bureau) of the Ministry of the Interior, to find that more than 50% of reported crimes were the work of young people whose family name sounds African or Maghrebin."

The judge said to Zemmour:

"You are described by SOS-Racism as a provocateur, making unfavorable comments about homosexuals, immigrants and judges."

"No, I am not a provocateur," replied Zemmour. "I say what I think, believe and see." In short, he describes reality without taboos and thinks, as does the philosopher Clément Rosset, that it is "unbearable, but irremediable":

"My remarks are not inappropriate, they are brutal. But life, reality, is brutal." (..)

Later, he explained that anti-racism is the fig leaf of a Left that has submitted to globalization and the market economy and emphasized the lack of culture of the president of LICRA Alain Jakubowicz.

When the judge asked him about his remarks on race and crime he accepted full responsibility and said he did not understand why people reproach him for not mentioning the economic and social reasons that could explain the incidence of crime among immigrants. "It's a complex discussion. It could also be because of the family structures," he added.

According to Zemmour, to discriminate is to choose. "There is nothing infamous, we do it all the time." (...)

An Asian association, the JADF (Young Asians of France) has thrown their full support behind Eric Zemmour, as reported by Le Post:

The JADF considers that the anti-racist "associations" should instead revolt against the offenses and unacceptable insults, such as "f... France", and the discriminatory and violent behavior against certain religions.

These anti-racist "associations" showed no feelings toward the Chinese community of Paris. (...)

Mr. Zemmour is a scapegoat , a man who kept his freedom of speech and one cannot but respect him for that.

France gives her children, at least those who deserve it, the means to succeed without playing the pity and fear card.

The JADF fully supports Mr. Zemmour and hopes to demonstrate that one can perhaps have skin of a different color, be born somewhere other than France, love one's country, and still have an objective vision like that of Mr. Zemmour.