Advertisement
French students convicted for racist tweets blaming Chinese people for coronavirus pandemic
- The four were sentenced to two days of civic education and ordered to pay up to US$1,223 in fines
- The students posted the tweets after France announced a second round of strict stay-at-home rules last October
Reading Time:1 minute
Why you can trust SCMP
37
A French court on Wednesday found four students guilty of inciting racial hatred online by posting anti-Asian tweets blaming Chinese people for the spread of coronavirus.
The four, aged between 19 and 24 and without criminal records, were sentenced to two days of civic education by the Paris criminal court, and ordered to pay 250 euros (US$300) to each of the seven plaintiffs and up to 1,000 euros (US$1,223) in fines.
A fifth accused student was found not guilty.
Advertisement
The students posted the tweets after President Emmanuel Macron announced a second round of strict stay-at-home rules on October 29.
Covid-19 first emerged in China and there have been concerns throughout Western countries about anti-Asian sentiments.
Advertisement
“Put me in a cage with a Chinese, I want to have fun with him, break him, I want to see all hope in his eyes fade before me,” one of the students tweeted in postings that were read out in court at the start of the trial in March.
Britain’s Chinese community faces racism over coronavirus outbreak
Britain’s Chinese community faces racism over coronavirus outbreak
Advertisement
Select Voice
Choose your listening speed
Get through articles 2x faster
1.25x
250 WPM
Slow
Average
Fast
1.25x