French mayor fined after being found guilty of inciting hatred against Muslims

Far-right French mayor and key adviser to presidential candidate Marine Le Pen, Robert Menard has been fined €2,000 for inciting hatred, after declaring that there were too many Muslim children in his local schools.

Robert Menard, mayor of the southern town of Beziers, is an ally of the anti-immigrant National Front party.

On 1 September 2016, France's first day back at school, he tweeted a comparison of a school picture from the 1970s to one taken recently, which he said proved the conspiracy theory of the "great replacement". The divisive term is used to describe the alleged eviction of France's white Christian population by migrants.

On 5 September, Menard said on LCI television: "In a class in the city centre of my town, 91% of the children are Muslims. Obviously, this is a problem. There are limits to tolerance."

French law prohibits data based on people's religious beliefs or ethnicity.

Menard defended his comments, saying: "I just described the situation in my town. It is not a value judgement, it's a fact. It's what I can see."

In addition to the fine, a Paris court awarded €1,000 in court costs to anti-racist groups that had brought the case.

The fine was higher than the €1,800 called for by the public prosecutor, who said Menard had "pointed the finger at kids, whom he describes as a weight on the national community".

In a tweet posted after being convicted, he said he was "obviously appealing".

C'est une décision de circonstance. Si dire ce que l'on voit est un délit... Je fais évidemment appel. https://t.co/MyccGHU1gN

— Robert Ménard (@RobertMenardFR) April 25, 2017

Menard’s conviction comes after Le Pen announced she was temporarily stepping down as leader of the Front National party to concentrate on her presidential bid.

The move has been seen as an attempt to distance herself from the party's racist image and embrace a wider range of voters.