France: BDS activists convicted of Holocaust denial

Via Midi-Libre, Liberation:

Two BD Sactivists were convicted by a Montpellier court of incitement and Holocaust denial and fined 3000 euro.  They will also have to pay a very symbolic one euro in damages to each of the civil parties that joined the case: LDH (League of Human Rights), LICRA (International League against Racism and Anti-Semitism ), France-Israel Association, MRAP (Movement against Racism), Lawyers without Borders, and the antisemitism watchdog BNVCA.


The two, Saadia Ben Fakha (26) and Husein Abu-Zaid (58), are members of BDS France 34, the local branch in Hérault.  Abu-Zaid is the group's spokesperson. 

In August 2014, the two posted on their Facebook account, an image comparing the Israeli army to Nazi Germany along with a caption saying "The Nazis and Zionists are two sides of the same coin" and that "What Hitler did to the Jews was done so that the world will sympathize with them and give them all the rights".

LDH Montpellier, who often participate in BDS activities, discovered the Holocaust-denial posting and requested that it be removed.  However, BDS did not explicitly condemn it until LDH turned to the police, and even then absolved their activists of all responsibility.

The two claimed they had clicked on it by accident, and did not see or read the image before sharing it.  BDS 34 supported its two activists and denied they were antisemitic.

BDS protest to free Saadia and Husein (photo via BDS France 34)

LDH, on the other hand, found that Ben Fakha had posted pictures of bodies of Israeli soldiers along with inappropriate comments, as well as photos of herself making the Quenelle, the reverse-Nazi salute created by the antisemitic comedian Dieudonné.

Saadia Ben Fakha, posing next to a picture of Ahmed Yassin, founder of Hamas and its spiritual leader (via JSS News)

BDS also condmened LDH because they gave exposure to the issue, and allowed 'Zionist' groups, that is, French racism and antisemitism watchdogs groups, to join as plaintiffs. 



Update, via Elder of Ziyon, the post in question: