Algeria footballer Atal convicted over Gaza post
NICE: Algerian international footballer Youcef Atal was handed an eight-month suspended sentence by a French court Wednesday for inciting religious hatred in a social media post about the conflict in Gaza. The 27-year-old defender, who plays for Ligue 1 side Nice, must also pay a fine of €45,000 ($49,000) for sharing a video calling for a “black day for the Jews”, the Nice criminal court ruled.
He will further pay for details of his conviction to be published in regional daily Nice-Matin and national newspaper Le Monde, and make it visible for one month on his Instagram page. The comments at issue came in a video of a preacher, Mahmoud Al-Hasanat, which Atal posted to his 3.2-million-follower Instagram account. The Zionist entity’s campaign against Hamas has cost over 22,000 lives. After speaking about the children killed in the bombardments, Hasanat called on god to send a “black day for the Jews” and “guide the hand” of Gazans striking back. Atal was with the Algerian national team in his home country when he shared the video. He withdrew it the following day when Nice warned him it was likely to attract controversy, offering his apologies. Atal had apologized again to the court during the hearings, saying he had wanted to send a “message of peace” and did not watch the entire 35-second video before posting it. That argument did not convince prosecutors or plaintiffs, mostly Jewish organizations and the Professional Football League (LFP). “Sharing a video means being party to its message and lending it visibility,” prosecutor Meggi Choutia told the court. “There is no talk of peace at any moment in these 35 seconds,” she added.
Wednesday’s decision was “expected, given the context and the strong political pressure,” Atal’s lawyer Antoine Vey told AFP following the verdict. He added that the footballer would likely appeal his conviction.