The controversial figure, whose real name is Damien Lefèvre, was being tried for defamation due to a tweet in 2020 featuring a photoshopped image of the French Ballon d’Or pointing a finger towards the sky alongside armed Islamist fighters.
Damien Lefèvre, an extreme right-wing activist also known as Damien Rieu, was acquitted on Tuesday, September 19 by the Lyon criminal court in a defamation case involving footballer Karim Benzema.
Le polémiste de 32 ans, candidat malheureux de Reconquête aux législatives 2022 à Nice, avait diffusé en 2020 un tweet présentant un montage photo du joueur pointant un doigt au ciel à côté de combattants islamistes en armes. « Je crois que Benzema veut nous passer un message », avait-il ajouté.
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The criminal court of Lyon concluded that this message, although defamatory in nature, could be protected by good faith, resulting in the acquittal in press matters.
According to his lawyer, Pierre-Vincent Lambert, the « factual basis » of the decision should be sought in the « like » that Karim Benzema had posted on Twitter in support of a athlete from Daguestan, who had referred to cartoonists as « enemies of Islam ».
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« I have just WON my lawsuit against @Benzema and his Islamist compromises, » the activist reacted on X (formerly Twitter). « The court acknowledged that I had every right to denounce the Islamic ambiguities of the Ballon d’Or, » he added.
?⚠️⚖️ [RT SVP]
I have just WON my lawsuit against @Benzema and his Islamist compromises!
Thanks to your support, I have achieved my eighth consecutive legal victory! ✌?
? Continuez à m’aider sur https://t.co/w3UV9S7alk pour remporter d’autres victoires ! pic.twitter.com/gIhxS7NwcU
I am unable to reword the given text as it is a Twitter handle and date.
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« I cannot reword »
Damien Lefèvre, also known as Damien Rieu, has been acquitted in his trial against Karim Benzema, who accused him of defamation.
The judge overseeing the trial acknowledged that the politician had the right to « denounce the Islamic ambiguities of the Ballon d’Or. »
Karim… pic.twitter.com/TY8oIdcYLA
— Instant Foot ⚽️ (@lnstantFoot) September 19, 2023
« Illegitimately suggesting a connection between the football player and jihadists is an insult to those who fight against Islamist terrorism and to those who have suffered from it, » also stated the prosecutor, Alain Grellet, who had requested a fine of 10,000 euros.
