European Court condemns France for punishing supporters of Palestine

PARIS, June 11 (YPA) – The European Court of Human Rights condemned on Thursday the Government of France for its condemnation of pro-Palestine activists, from the “Palestine 68 Collective” movement in France, who called for a boycott of Israeli products.

The court unanimously ruled that the criminal conviction in 2013 of activists from the Palestine 68 Collective movement, who called for a boycott of Israeli goods, violated Article 10 of freedom of expression, of the European Convention on Human Rights, according to a statement issued by the boycott movement.

The European Union Judicial Authority said it noted that “the actions and statements attributed to the complainants fall within the context of political expression and relate to a matter related to the public interest,” considering that their 2013 conviction by the Court of Appeal in Colmar “is not based on sufficient clear motives”.

The court ordered the French government to pay to each of the complainants 380 euros in compensation for material damages, 7,000 euros in compensation for moral damage, and the group of plaintiffs 20,000 euros in compensation for expenses.

YPA