This short piece has been inspired by the case of Sanchez v France which was decided by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) this year and which I argue, hereinafter, is yet another worrying development in the framework of freedom of expression. This case involved the criminal conviction of the applicant for inciting hatred or violence against a group of people/an individual due to their religion. This conviction did not emanate from his own speech but rather from his failure to take prompt action in deleting comments that others wrote under one of his posts on Facebook. At the material time, Sanchez was a Front National parliamentary candidate for the Nîmes constituency. Sanchez posted a comment about the website of one of his political opponents F.P (a Member of the European Parliament).
OpnioJuris: Hate Speech by Proxy – Sanchez v France and the Dwindling Protection of Freedom of Expression
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