The draft law, which was submitted to parliament in November 2024 by Caroline Yadan, foresees criminal sanctions not only for denying the existence of the state, but also for comparing Israel to the Nazi regime. The law, whose first reading is scheduled for tomorrow, has received broad support across the political spectrum, including the far right.
According to a statement by the panel of five experts, the law would “dangerously expand the already vague and overbroad concept of ‘glorification of terrorism’ in French law. Its unjustified restrictions on freedom of expression and opinion would also stifle legitimate public debate and advocacy of human rights, including those on Palestine and Israel.”
The law would criminalize “even implicit” incitement to terrorism, as well as statements deemed to “downplay” or “over trivialize” acts of terrorism or those responsible for them. It would also become a criminal offense to publicly call for the destruction of a French-recognised state or express views deemed to “downplay” or “excessively trivialize” the crimes of the Holocaust “in any form”.
Experts have warned that such measures risk stifling legitimate speech.
“Criminal law should not suppress differing views about current or past events, no matter how inaccurate, unpopular or shocking, unless such expression is intended to incite violence and is objectively likely to lead to it,” they said.
They also warned against limiting discussion on issues such as self-determination and statehood.
“By distorting the meaning of anti-Semitism and linking it to a wide range of legitimate political expression, this law risks trivializing real cases of anti-Semitic hatred, making it difficult to identify them and encouraging the perception of instrumentalization,” they added.
Emphasizing that “the fight against anti-Semitism, as well as all forms of racial, religious or other discrimination, is an important goal”, experts assessed that the law equates anti-Semitism with criticism of Israel.
“Criticism of Israel and Zionism does not constitute anti-Semitism,” they said.
According to the UN, special rapporteurs, independent experts and working groups are part of the so-called special procedures of the UN Human Rights Council.
(Vijesti.ba)
