Nice defender Youcef Atal was given an eight-month suspended prison sentence and fined 45,000 euros ($49,000) on Wednesday for sharing an antisemitic message online.
French media reports said he was found guilty of inciting hatred for having shared an antisemitic message in October amid global tensions over the Israel-Hamas war.
Atal, who plays for Ligue 1 side Nice, shared the video on his Instagram account, which has 3.2 million followers, shortly after the attack by Hamas militants on Israel on October 7 in which 1,139 people were killed.
BREAKING:Footballer Youcef Atal received an eight-month suspended sentence from a French court for a post related to the Gaza war. pic.twitter.com/5LzL2PDmC8
— Globe Eye News (@GlobeEyeNews) January 4, 2024
In an extract of the footage, the preacher, Mahmoud Al Hasanat, at first talked about the plight of children in Gaza.
Prosecutors said they also identified another extract in which he called on God to “send the Jews a black day”, and “steady the hands” of Gaza inhabitants if they should “throw stones”.
The 27-year-old defender, who quickly deleted the post and issued an apology, was suspended by his club while prosecutors probed the incident for suspected “justification of terrorism”.
But they dropped that line of investigation after watching the video and questioning the player, instead charging him with “incitement to religious hatred”.
Two associations, the International League against Racism and anti-Semitism (Licra) and the Jewish Observatory of France, have brought civil actions against the player.
He has been under judicial supervision with a ban on travelling abroad except to play professional football.
Atal had already been suspended by the French soccer league for seven matches over the post.
Anwar El Ghazi, Youcef Atal and other Muslim footballers are getting suspended from their clubs for voicing support for Palestine.Meanwhile, Manor Solomon is saying this about the bombing of the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital.
Once again, this has never been about “free speech.” pic.twitter.com/bM05Dd3mRm
— Zach Lowy (@ZachLowy) October 18, 2023
The 27-year-old Atal, who also plays for Algeria’s national team, apologized after reportedly reposting and then deleting a video in which a Palestinian preacher made an antisemitic statement.
Writing on Instagram, Atal said he understood that his post was shocking to some people and said he condemns all forms of violence, “no matter where in the world.”
The Nice public prosecutor’s office opened a preliminary investigation in October targeting Atal on charges “of defending terrorism” and for “public incitement to hatred or violence because of a particular religion.”
Atal has scored 12 goals in 117 games since joining Nice in 2018.
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