France puts Algerian footballer on trial over Gaza post

Algerian international footballer Youcef Atal has been put on trial in France, accused of inciting hatred after posting a video in which a Palestinian preacher purportedly threatens Israel with a "black day". (Photo/AFP)

Atal arrived at the courthouse on Monday in the southern city Nice accompanied by his lawyer, Antoine Vey.

Atal, who plays for Ligue1 side - Nice, shared the video on his Instagram account, which has 3.2M followers, shortly after the attack by Hamas resistance fighters on Israel on October 7.

In an extract of the footage seen by AFP, the preacher, Mahmoud Al Hasanat, first talked about the plight of children in Gaza.

Prosecutors said they also identified another extract in which he called on God to "send the Jews a black day", and "steady the hands" of Gaza inhabitants if they should "throw stones".

The 27-year-old defender, who quickly deleted the post and issued an apology, was suspended by his club while prosecutors probed the incident for suspected "justification of terrorism".

But they dropped that line of investigation after watching the video and questioning the player, instead charging him with "incitement to religious hatred".

Support for Youcef

He was followed by a group of people in the courthouse saying "Algeria is with you" and "Long live Palestine", according to an AFP photographer at the scene.

Two associations, the International League against Racism and anti-Semitism (Licra) and the Jewish Observatory of France, have brought civil actions against the player.

If found guilty, Atal could be sentenced to up to one year in prison and fined $49,000.

He has been under judicial supervision with a ban on travelling abroad except to play professional football.

His club quickly suspended him "until further notice" after the post, while the professional football league banned him for seven matches.

Some of Atal's Algerian teammates argued for leniency, saying he had apologised and not actually watched the video until the end before posting it.

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Source: TRT