On 9 July, Francois Burgat, a prominent French expert on political Islam and pro-Palestine activist, spent eight hours in police custody at the Aix-en-Provence station in the south of France.
Burgat, whose expertise is widely sought after, was detained concerning a complaint filed for “apology for terrorism”, a charge which involves defending or positively portraying terrorist acts.
The complaint was filed by the European Jewish Organisation (Organisation Juive Europeen), a French NGO made up of around 60 volunteer lawyers that fight against antisemitism and anti-Zionism.
Burgat is accused of reposting a statement by the Palestinian group Hamas on X last January, which refuted allegations of sexual violence against Israelis during the 7 October attack, as reported by The New York Times. ….more
