Algerian footballer Youssef Atal has been handed an eight-month prison sentence by a French court for sharing a post on social media related to the Gaza war. The ruling from France's Nice Criminal Court, as reported by Al Jazeera, states that Atal incited religious hatred in a video posted on social media in October 2023.
Violating these terms may activate a suspended sentence, leading to imprisonment. Youssef Atal, a defender for Ligue 1 club Nice and the Algerian national team, shared the controversial video on Instagram, where he has 3.2 million followers, following Hamas' actions against Israel on October 7.
Also Read: Rohit Sharma wants to play T20 world cup !
The video featured religious preacher Mahmoud al-Hasanat discussing the challenges faced by Gaza's children and making controversial statements about Jews. Atal promptly deleted the post and issued an apology, but the club terminated his contract. In France, the prosecutor initially pursued terrorism-related charges, but the investigation shifted towards promoting religious hatred after police reviewed the video.
Despite Atal's apology, the Professional Football League suspended him for seven matches, and his club suspended him from league participation. Algerian teammates appealed for leniency, emphasizing Atal's remorse and the fact that he had not watched the entire video. The 27-year-old footballer reiterated that he does not endorse hate messages and strongly condemns violence globally.
(This article is sourced from an external syndicated feed. The blog assumes no responsibility or liability for the content. The blog management at https://emergeheadlines.blogspot.com/ reserves the right to modify or remove the content without prior notice for any reason.)
0 Comments