After more than 20 red Swastikas were spray-painted all along rue de Rivoli in the center of Paris, the Criminal Court, surprisingly, didn't, retain the "antisemitic character" of the act.
A 31-year-old man from Georgia was arrested at the scene on October 11 on suspicion of spray-painting the swastikas. He will be judged on November 18 by the court for "refusal of signaling" and "degradation of classified property" but "the antisemitic character" of the alleged act was denied and not retained by the court.
This decision was strongly denounced by the International League Against Racism and Antisemitism (LICRA).
Un truc ne tourne pas rond dans le fonctionnement de la justice. Le Ministre de l’intérieur lui-même dénonce des tags nazis mais le parquet ne retient aucune circonstance aggravante en la matière, considérant que les croix gammées ne sont pas nazies ... @E_DupondM @JeanCASTEX https://t.co/TUOjsLf7a4
— Licra (@_LICRA_) October 14, 2020
"Something is not right in the functioning of justice. The Minister of the Interior himself denounces the tags as Nazi's, but the prosecution does not retain any aggravating circumstances in the matter, considering that swastikas are not Nazi," LICRA declared in a tweet.
According to the Paris prosecutor's office, it is not legally possible to retain the aggravating circumstance of the commission of acts due to religion, insofar as these degradations have been committed without specifically targeting buildings identified as linked to the Jewish community.
Tagged in red on the columns of the arcades of the rue de Rivoli, the swastikas were visible early Sunday morning in photos posted on social networks.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin spoke of "vile Nazi tags in the middle of Paris."
Ignobles tags nazis en plein #Paris. Merci aux policiers pour la réactivité : l’auteur présumé a été interpellé. pic.twitter.com/xlrAwCh01U
— Gérald DARMANIN (@GDarmanin) October 11, 2020
While in police custody, the suspect was brought to the psychiatric infirmary of the Prefecture of Police to check his mental state. He was then referred and set to be tried on Wednesday for "refusal of signaling" and "degradation of classified property."
His trial was eventually postponed until November 18, after he was granted a period to better prepare his defense.
He has been remanded in custody until then.