UN Experts Warn French Antisemitism Bill May Undermine Free Speech
The proposed legislation, introduced to the French parliament in November 2024 by Caroline Yadan, seeks to impose criminal penalties not only for denying the existence of a state, but also for comparing Israel to the Nazi regime.
Set for its first parliamentary reading on Thursday, the bill has reportedly gained wide political support across various parties, including backing from the far right.
However, a panel of five UN experts warned in a joint statement that the draft law would “dangerously expand the already vague and overbroad offence of ‘glorification of terrorism’ under French law. Its undue restriction of freedom of expression and opinion would also chill legitimate public debate and human rights advocacy, including on Palestine and Israel.”
The proposal would also criminalize incitement to terrorism “even implicitly” and penalize remarks deemed to “minimize” or “excessively trivialize” terrorist acts or those responsible for them.
In addition, it would make it a punishable offense to publicly call for the destruction of a state recognized by France, as well as to express opinions considered to “minimize” or “excessively trivialize” Holocaust crimes “in any form.”
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