The case concerned a rap video titled "Le Rap des Gilets Jaunes" posted on January 21, 2019, on the website Egalité et Réconciliation. The civil parties filed a direct summons against the defendant, B., for his role as director of the publication. The video contained controversial lyrics and images, including: Phrases like "The French can't take any more of these parasites" and "It is only by kicking out the Rothschilds that we can save France".
Visuals showing the name "Rothschild" and photographs of personalities such as Jacques Attali, Bernard-Henri Lévy, and Patrick Drahi being thrown into flames. In the first instance, the Tribunal de Grande Instance de Bobigny (September 19, 2019) convicted B. of all charges, sentencing him to 24 months in prison (with 6 months suspended) and a fine of 45,000 euros, while awarding significant damages to the civil parties. B. and the Public Prosecutor appealed the decision.
The core question was whether the video, through its imagery and lyrics targeting specific Jewish individuals in finance and media, constituted a criminal provocation to hatred or an insult against the Jewish community as a whole. The court concluded that it could not be proven that the remarks targeted the Jewish community in its entirety, as the individuals depicted were targeted for their positions in finance, media, or politics which "can divide public opinion".
les articles 29 alinéa 1 et 32, alinéa 2, de la loi du 29 juillet 1881