France deporting imam for harmful antisemitic hate speech

France's top administrative court gave the "ok" for the deportation of the imam accused of hate speech.

General view of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France (photo credit: CHARLES PLATIAU / REUTERS)
General view of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France
(photo credit: CHARLES PLATIAU / REUTERS)

According to a tweet from French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, citing a decision made by the Council of State, "The Council of State validates the expulsion of Mr. Iquioussen who propagates particular antisemitic comments and contrary to equality between women and men."

"This is a great victory for the Republic. He will be expelled from the national territory," Darmanin said in his tweet.

According to Reuters, on August 5, an administrative court in Paris suspended the deportation order against Iquioussen after the interior ministry ordered the deportation in July for alleging that he had given "a speech fill with incitements of hatred and discrimination."

"This is a great victory for the Republic. He will be expelled from the national territory,"

French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin
White House Senior Adviser Jared Kushner during a visit with Israeli delegation to Rabat, Morocco (credit: US EMBASSY IN MOROCCO/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)
White House Senior Adviser Jared Kushner during a visit with Israeli delegation to Rabat, Morocco (credit: US EMBASSY IN MOROCCO/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)

The ministry said that he was also "promoting a vision of Islam contradicting the values of the Republic," according to multiple French news outlets.

Iquioussen's lawyer reacted to the expulsion on Twitter. "The Council of State confirms the expulsion of Hassan Iquioussen in an alarming context of pressure from the executive on the judiciary."

His lawyer also stated on her Twitter page that he is planning to appeal the decision.

Who is Iquioussen?

Iquioussen was born in 1964 in France with dual citizenship with Morocco from his father being among the first wave of people to immigrate to France from Morroco.

He has tens of thousands of subscribers to his YouTube and Facebook accounts that he runs from his home in northern France.


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Iquioussen "has for years spread insidious ideas that are nothing less than an incitement to hatred, to discrimination and to violence," an interior ministry lawyer told the Council of State last week.