French comedian fined for racial insult
Published: 05 Oct 2012 11:33 GMT+02:00 | Print version
Updated: 05 Oct 2012 11:33 GMT+02:00
A popular French comedian was been fined €2,000 on Thursday for a racially insulting a bouncer after one of his shows on the Champs Elysées.
A court found Jean-François Dérec, 55, guilty of calling a man who would not let him enter the dressing room of one of his co-stars a “dirty negro” after a performance at the Champs Elysée Theatre.
The comedian was ordered to pay a €2,000 fine for racial insult, and to pay a symbolic €1 to the victim.
Dérec, who denied the charges, said to the court: “I would never call someone a... I can’t even say the word in front of you.”
He claimed he was a member of the charity SOS Racisme, and said he is “shocked by the judgement” because “being showed up as a racist is the worst thing.”
Dérec has not yet declared if he will be appealing the court’s decision.
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