Are Jewish candidates expelled? Former RN boss convicted of libel

A former economic adviser to the National Rally (RN) was convicted on Friday of libel for claiming in May 2021 that the party’s investment committee was seeking to “oust out all people of Jewish origin” in regional elections.

Jean-Richard Sulzer, a former economic adviser to Marine Le Pen and who presented himself as the leader of a movement representing Jewish activists in RN, was sentenced by the Paris criminal court to a suspended fine of 500 euros, 2,000 euros in damages and 2,000 euros in compensation. legal expenses.

In a report published by AFP on May 31, 2021, he said he had seen how “gradually the investment committee pushed out all people of Jewish origin” in regional elections and allowed “real anti-Semites to rise in rank.” . At the time, he was the outgoing regional councilor for Hautes-de-France and was himself a candidate for the departmental elections in Hautes-de-Seine.

Jean-Richard Sulzer “had no factual basis”

The court found that these comments, accusing the party of undemocratic and discriminatory practices, were indeed defamatory and that “despite the general interest associated with this topic,” Jean-Richard Sulzer “had no factual basis to enable us to make such a decision.” , with an affirmative tone devoid of any caution, an accusation of such a serious act as racial discrimination.

The condemnation comes days after controversy over the participation of a far-right party in demonstrations against anti-Semitism on November 12, in the context of an increase in anti-Semitic acts in France following an attack on an unprecedented scale by the Islamist movement, Palestinian Hamas in southern Israel on October 7 and a massive response by the Israeli army which struck the Gaza Strip.

The announced presence of the RN at the rallies prompted some to boycott the event, recalling in particular the numerous anti-Semitic statements by Jean-Marie Le Pen, founder of the National Front and father of Marine Le Pen. In recent weeks, the former presidential candidate has increased his appeals to a community that has been electorally hostile to him, demonstrating his support for Israel and reaffirming that the RN “defends” French people of Jewish faith.