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Youcef Atal, an Algerian international football player, is under trial in France on Monday on charges of inciting hatred following the release of a video purporting to show a Palestinian preacher threatening Israel with a “black day.”
The video was posted on Atal’s 3.2 million-follower Instagram account, just after the attack on October 7 that left 1,139 people dead. Atal plays for Nice in the Ligue 1 league.
In an excerpt of the video that AFP saw, the preacher, Mahmoud Al Hasanat, began by discussing the situation of the children in Gaza.
Prosecutors said they also identified another extract in which he called on God to “send the Jews a black day”, and “steady the hands” of Gaza inhabitants if they should “throw stones”.
The 27-year-old defender was sidelined by his team while prosecutors looked into the event for possible “justification of terrorism.” He promptly removed the post and apologized.
However, after viewing the video and speaking with the player, they decided against carrying out that line of inquiry and instead accused him of “incitement to religious hatred.”
The player is the target of two associations’ civil lawsuits: the Jewish Observatory of France and the International League against Racism and Anti-Semitism (Licra).
Atal faces a maximum term of one year in prison and a fine of 45,000 euros ($49,000) if proven guilty.
He has been placed under court surveillance and is only permitted to travel to other countries to play professional football.
Following the tweet, his team promptly suspended him “until further notice,” and the professional football league penalized him for seven games.
Atal’s Algerian colleagues pleaded for forgiveness, pointing out that he had issued an apology and hadn’t watched the entire film before sharing it.
On October 7, Hamas launched unprecedented strikes on Israel, sparking the worst Gaza war in history. According to latest Israeli numbers, the group killed 1,139 individuals, largely civilians, and captured about 250 more.
According to the health ministry in the zone controlled by Hamas, Israel’s war in Gaza has claimed the lives of about 19,000 individuals.
