France Archives - Page 16 of 24 - Index on Censorship

France: Court orders French “cop watching” site to be blocked

A court in France has ruled that internet service providers must block access to a “cop watching” web site. The website, Copwatch Nord Paris I-D-F, shows pictures and videos of police officers arresting suspects, taunting protesters and allegedly committing acts of violence against members of ethnic minorities, was deemed to incite violence against the police. Free speech advocates have said that the ruling restricted internet freedoms. The first complaint against the site was filed by a Paris police officer who received a bullet in his mailbox after his picture had appeared on the site.

France: John Galliano found guilty of racist and anti-Semitic abuse

British designer John Galliano has been given a suspended fine for two racist and anti-Semitic abuse rants in a Parisian bar. The former Dior designer was found guilty of making public insults on two occasions and charged 6000 euros (£5,200). Galliano was said to have made 35 anti-Jewish insults in the space of 45 minutes when he repeatedly insulted a French couple in February. He was also found guilty of similar charges from October 2010. Galliano claims not to remember the incidents due to his triple addiction to alcohol, sleeping tablets and Valium.

France: Journalists freed by Taliban after 18 months in captivity

French journalists, Herve Ghesquiere and Stephane Taponier, have returned home after 18 months captivity in Afghanistan. The reporter and cameraman for television channel, France 3, were captured in 2009 while filming in the mountains of Kapisa. The pair were kept in solitary confinement for eight months and locked up for 23 hours a day. A media blackout was imposed on the French media throughout the first few months of their captivity out for “a political reasons and concerns for their safety”.