The supporter of OGC Nice filmed giving a Nazi salute to the Allianz Riviera during the Nice-Marseille match on August 22 is sentenced to a one-year suspended prison sentence and a 3-year stadium ban for “incitement to racial hatred and apology for war crimes and crimes against humanity. “ He had been placed in detention for 18 days and appeared free on Wednesday before the Nice Criminal Court. This 30-year-old Nice supporter, had made the kippah gesture and a Nazi salute during the Mediterranean derby.

“This gesture is horrible, it was a stupid provocation”

Several associations (MRAP, Licra, SOS Racisme, CRIF) had formed civil parties, as well as the Professional Football League and the OGC Nice club. All the civil parties demanded that these acts be severely condemned, 70 years after the end of the Nazi regime. The lawyer of the LFP put forward the wish “to purify the stages of this kind of behavior that should not be trivialized“. SOS Racisme’s lawyer, master Hanan Hmad pointed out”the glorification of an ideology that claimed the lives of six million Jews for belonging to a group. ”

The defense lawyer presented his client as a supporter who “was not aware, nor the will to defend a crime against humanity. “ What happened that evening, for Master Mathurin Lauze is “the world cup of human stupidity. “He added” you do not judge a nostalgic for the Third Reich, nor a follower of the foul ideologies, but someone a little less than others who have gotten to the point of skidding “.

The supporter who appeared free regretted his gesture “horrible”, he explains as a provocation towards the Marseillais, “because the people of Nice have the reputation of being racist in the stands“.”I hurt a lot of people doing this, I regret it and I apologizeHe explained that he had consumed two beers that evening and was taking treatment for depression. A request was made to his home, without result.

A first supporter, was tried in mid-September for having kicked Dimitri Payet, was sentenced to a one-year suspended prison sentence and five years of stadium ban. The trial of five other Nice supporters suspected of having invaded the lawn was postponed next February.