C’est vrai, jail for mocking an accent

French people who discriminate against compatriots in the workplace due to their accent face a maximum three-year prison term under a new law that places the behaviour on a par with race, gender or handicap bias. Those who flout the law also face a $70,000 fine. Half of French people say they do not speak “standard French” (i.e. Parisian) and a quarter say they suffer mockery. Top politicians behind the bill had recently been mocked for their regional accents.