In another example of authoritarian censorship in France, Marine Le Pen was charged earlier last week for sharing images of IS fighters.
French prosecutors filed preliminary charges Thursday against Marine Le Pen for tweeting brutal images of Islamic State violence.
The prosecutor’s office in the Paris suburb of Nanterre said the charges were issued for “distribution of violent images.” If the case eventually reaches trial and she’s convicted, Le Pen could face up to three years in prison and a 75,000-euro ($90,000) fine.
Le Pen’s December 2015 tweets showed executions by IS extremists, including the killing of American reporter James Foley. She posted them in the wake of the November 2015 IS attacks on Paris, accusing the government of not doing enough to protect France.
Le Pen told BFM television Thursday “it’s clearly aimed at silencing me. Yet I will not be silenced”. Le Pen said she would consider a potential conviction as a “medal of patriotism and defense of the French people.”
The preliminary charges were made possible after the French parliament lifted her immunity from prosecution in the case late last year.
It is events like this that showcase the downward spiral Europe is currently going through. The fact that a political leader can’t even share images of a threat such as the Islamic State is ridiculous. It is clear that the French establishment knows that sharing the reality of the Islamic State would stop their plans of importing so many through the refugee programs. This is why protecting speech on both sides is no important.
