The Collectif contre l’Islamophobie en France reports on the conviction of an individual who posted an anti-Muslim hate message on the website of Le Figaro in 2011. The court imposed a one-month suspended prison sentence and a €1680 fine.

The message read: “… as for the Muslims who increasingly provoke the indigenous French with their shit halal meals … I advise them to immediately stop these provocations or leave France as soon as possible and return to their Muslim countries if they don’t know how to live in harmony with other religions, otherwise they will eventually only have the choice of the suitcase or the coffin as was the case for the ‘pieds noirs’ in the ’60s.”

The CCIF note that they have repeatedly denounced the proliferation of hate speech on the internet and the ease with which it is circulated. They state: “This judicial decision is important and serves as a warning to all those Islamophobes who imagine they can threaten and abuse with complete impunity. The CCIF remains determined to use all legal means to combat every form of violence against the Muslim community.”