Toulouse: the imam of Empalot retried on appeal
Accused of having held an anti-Semitic recommendation in December 2017, acquitted by the Toulouse Criminal Court on September 14, 2021, the imam of Empalot Mohammed Tataiat will be retried on Monday before the Toulouse Court of Appeal.
The chamber of correctional appeals of the court of Toulouse will provide a day of hearing, Monday, to the remarks made during a prayer at the great mosque of Empalot by the imam Tataiat. This man of faith, an Algerian state official based in Toulouse since 1987, has always contested the anti-Semitism of his proposals. For him, his sermon where he urged his followers to “kill the Jews” was misinterpreted.
In the first instance, the criminal court had taken its time to hear the explanations of this imam of the mosque “En Nourr”, rather respected and who had good relations with the Jewish community before the discovery of his controversial proposals. This sermon delivered in December 1987 in front of 3000 faithful had been filmed and broadcast on the You Tube channel of the mosque.
Released at first instance
A monitoring association had identified and denounced the content of this speech. The regional prefect had reported the difficulty to the public prosecutor’s office, which had launched an investigation, addressed to the territorial management of the judicial police, then opened an investigation. The imam was ultimately sent back to the criminal court.
At the end of the hearing in June 2021 where the prosecution had requested a 6-month suspended prison sentence considering the offense of incitement to discrimination, hatred or constituted violence, the court had acquitted the imam. The judges, if they considered the remarks “clumsy”, thought them non-discriminatory. The front floor quickly appealed.
Monday before the correctional appeals chamber, the hearing is scheduled for the whole day. Attorney General Franck Rastoul will bring the charge. The decision will be, as is the rule before the Court of Appeal, placed under advisement.