Far-right French pundit and failed presidential candidate Éric Zemmour was given a 4,000-euro fine (about $4,200) for anti-LGBTQ+ comments that violated France’s anti-hate speech law. On October 15, 2019, Zemmour appeared on the show Face à l’info to discuss whether medically assisted reproduction is progress. The show aired shortly after France passed a law allowing lesbian couples and single women to access medically assisted reproduction. During the show, Zemmour said that a small minority is controlling the government and having children without a father is a catastrophe. In 2022, six LGBTQ+ organizations in the country, namely, Inter-LGBT, SOS Homophobie, Stop Homophobie, Adheos, Quazar, and Mousse filed a lawsuit against Zemmour. The judge has ruled in favor of the organizations. Zemmour was handed a 4,000 euro fine. The director of Face à l’info, Serge Nedjar, was also fined 4,000 euros. Zemmour and Nedjar were also ordered to pay 3,000 euros to several LGBTQ+ organizations and 2,000 euros in attorneys’ fees. Zemmour’s attorney said that he’ll be appealing the decision. Zemmour ran for president in 2022 and frequently blamed the decline of the country on immigration, feminism, and LGBTQ+ rights. Despite the massive media attention he got during the run-up to the election, he ended up getting only 7% of the vote in the first round of the presidential election.
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