France abolishes the crime of offending the head of state

Nicolás Sarkozy

The Chamber of Deputies of the French Parliament decided to abolish the crime of offending the head of state, after a citizen was convicted for insulting the former president Nicolas Sarkozy.

After analyzing the report on the adaptation of the French law of European directives, the deputies unanimously approved the proposal of the Socialist Party to annul the crime of offending the president, arguing that “it is not justified in a modern democracy.”

On  March 14, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) found that France had violated the freedom of speech when leftist activist Herve Eon was convicted in 2008 and given a 30 euro ($39) fine after holding up to Sarkozy’s car a banner with the words “Get lost, jerk.”

The words on the banner were the same that Sarkozy himself had directed earlier at a member of the public who refused to shake his hand during France’s annual farm fair.