An investigation has been opened in France after a vegan activist posted on social media that they had "zero compassion" for the butcher who was killed in the recent terrorist attack in the southwestern part of the country.

"Well, what, it shocks you that an assassin is killed by a terrorist? Not me, I have zero compassion for him," the person wrote in a message discovered by French authorities on Monday. The activist added that the butcher's death was "justice," before quickly deleting the post, according to a judicial source cited by 20 Minutes. She was later taken into custody, according to Le Parisien.

The comment was in reference to last week's terrorist attack on a Super U market in Trèbes, France, which was claimed by Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL). The attack saw two civilians - including butcher Christian Medves - killed. Others were wounded and hostages were taken.

A policeman at the scene, who offered to take the place of the hostages, also died as a result of the attack after succumbing to his injuries.

That officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Arnaud Beltrame, has been hailed a hero by the French government. However, one French politician took to Twitter to celebrate his death.

“Whenever a policeman is shot…I think of my friend Remi Fraisse,” former French parliamentary candidate Stephane Poussier wrote, referring to a Green activist killed by a police stun grenade during a 2014 protest. "And this time it was a colonel, great! Additionally, it means one less Macron voter,” he continued. Poussier received a one-year suspended sentence on Tuesday, after being charged with justifying terrorism.

A national ceremony was held for Medves at the Hotel des Invalides in Paris on Wednesday. French President Emmanuel Macron awarded the deceased officer France's highest accolade, the Legion d'Honneur, saying that the 44-year-old symbolized the "French spirit of resistance."

If you like this story, share it with a friend!</s>A FRENCH VEGAN activist was handed a suspended prison term today for condoning terrorism after writing on Facebook that “justice” had been served when a butcher was killed during an Islamist attack last week, a legal source said.

The unusual case, prosecuted under France’s tough anti-terror security laws, was heard in the town of Saint-Gaudens in southwest France.

Police spotted the Facebook message by the vegan cheesemaker on Monday night about the killing of butcher Christian Medves at a Super U supermarket in Trebes last week during a shooting spree by an Islamic extremist.

“So then, you are shocked that a murderer is killed by a terrorist.” wrote the animal rights activist, named as Myriam by local media. “Not me. I’ve got zero compassion for him, there’s justice in it.”

With France mourning the four victims of the gunman’s rampage, the message sparked outrage online and the author later deleted it, but prosecutors decided to press charges for condoning terrorism, a legal source said.

During sentencing on Thursday, the defendant was handed a suspended prison term of seven months, meaning she will not serve any time behind bars unless she re-offends, local prosecutor Cecile Deprade told AFP.

Anyone suspected of approving terrorism or commenting on it favourably can be charged under French law. Doing so on the internet carries a maximum seven-year jail term and a fine of up to €100,000.

“I can understand that you can love and defend animals, but not to the point where you hate humans,” Franck Alberti, a lawyer who is close to the butcher’s family, was quoted as saying by Le Parisien newspaper.

The Facebook post also drew condemnation from the French Butchers’ Confederation which called it “dreadful” and urged respect for Medves, a 50-year-old father of two who was head of the meat section in the Super U.

La Depeche du Midi newspaper published a message from the vegan activist earlier this week in which she said she had deleted her comment within two hours and thought it was visible only to her friends, not to the public.

A left-wing French activist who had stood for parliament last June, Stephane Poussier, was handed a one-year suspended jail term on Tuesday over comments he posted on Twitter over the same attack last Friday.

Poussier had welcomed the death of Lieutenant-Colonel Arnaud Beltrame, a police colonel who exchanged himself for a hostage but was then killed in an act hailed as heroic.

“Whenever a policeman is shot… I think of my friend Remi Fraisse,” he wrote, referring to an environmental activist killed by a stun grenade fired by police during a 2014 protest over a dam.

“And this time it was a colonel, great! Additionally, it means one less Macron voter,” he added.

Read: Hunt underway for man who tried to ram car into soldiers jogging near barracks in France

Read: ‘French spirit of resistance’ hailed as hero policeman laid to rest</s>FOIX, France — A French vegan activist was set to appear in court on Thursday for allegedly condoning terrorism after writing on social media that a butcher killed in an Islamist attack deserved his fate, a legal source told AFP.

The unusual case, being prosecuted under France’s tough anti-terror security laws, was to be heard in the town of Saint-Gaudens in southwest France.

Police in the region spotted a message overnight on Monday-Tuesday related to the killing of a butcher at the Super U supermarket in Trebes last week during an attack by a gunman claiming allegiance to the Islamic State group, the source said.

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“So then, you are shocked that a murderer is killed by a terrorist,” wrote the vegan and activist for animal rights. “Not me. I’ve got zero compassion for him, there’s some justice in it.”

The message sparked instant criticism and complaints and the author later withdrew it, the legal source said, but prosecutors decided to press charges for condoning terrorism anyway.

The charge can be brought against anyone suspected of approving terrorism or commenting on it favorably. Doing so on the internet carries a maximum seven-year jail term and a fine of up to 100,000 euros ($125,000).

A left-wing French activist who had stood for parliament last June, Stephane Poussier, was handed a one-year suspended jail term on Tuesday over comments he posted on Twitter over the same attack.

The shooting spree by a Moroccan-born Frenchman last Friday around the towns of Carcassonne and Trebes left four people dead, including a local policeman who exchanged himself for a hostage but was then killed.

President Emmanuel Macron led tributes on Wednesday at a national commemoration for the officer, Arnaud Beltrame, a colonel in the local paramilitary police.

“Whenever a policeman is shot… I think of my friend Remi Fraisse,” Poussier had written on Twitter, referring to an environmental activist killed by a stun grenade fired by police during a 2014 protest over a dam.

“And this time it was a colonel, great! Additionally, it means one less Macron voter,” he added.</s>A French vegan activist was set to appear in court on Thursday for allegedly condoning terrorism after writing on social media that a butcher killed in an Islamist attack deserved his fate, a legal source told AFP.

The unusual case, being prosecuted under France's tough anti-terror security laws, was to be heard in the town of Saint-Gaudens in southwest France.

Police in the region spotted a message overnight on Monday-Tuesday related to the killing of a butcher at the Super U supermarket in Trebes last week during an attack by a gunman claiming allegiance to the Islamic State group, the source said.

"So then, you are shocked that a murderer is killed by a terrorist," wrote the vegan and activist for animal rights. "Not me. I've got zero compassion for him, there's some justice in it."

The message sparked instant criticism and complaints and the author later withdrew it, the legal source said, but prosecutors decided to press charges for condoning terrorism anyway.

The charge can be brought against anyone suspected of approving terrorism or commenting on it favourably. Doing so on the internet carries a maximum seven-year jail term and a fine of up to 100,000 euros ($125,000).

A left-wing French activist who had stood for parliament last June, Stephane Poussier, was handed a one-year suspended jail term on Tuesday over comments he posted on Twitter over the same attack.

The shooting spree by a Moroccan-born Frenchman last Friday around the towns of Carcassonne and Trebes left four people dead, including a local policeman who exchanged himself for a hostage but was then killed.

President Emmanuel Macron led tributes on Wednesday at a national commemoration for the officer, Arnaud Beltrame, a colonel in the local paramilitary police.

"Whenever a policeman is shot... I think of my friend Remi Fraisse," Poussier had written on Twitter, referring to an environmental activist killed by a stun grenade fired by police during a 2014 protest over a dam.

"And this time it was a colonel, great! Additionally, it means one less Macron voter," he added.</s>An investigation has been opened in France after a vegan activist posted on social media that she had "zero compassion" for a butcher who was killed in a recent terrorist attack in the southwestern part of the country.the person wrote in a message discovered by French authorities on Monday. The activist added that the butcher's death was "justice,"before quickly deleting the post, according to a judicial source cited by 20 Minutes. She was later taken into custody , according to Le Parisien.The attack saw two civilians - including butcher Christian Medves - killed. Others were wounded and hostages were taken.A policeman at the scene, who offered to take the place of the hostages, also died as a result of the attack after succumbing to his injuries.That officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Arnaud Beltrame, has been hailed a hero by the French government. However, one French politician took to Twitter to celebrate his death."Whenever a policeman is shot... I think of my friend Remi Fraisse,"former French parliamentary candidate Stephane Poussier wrote, referring to a Green activist killed by a police stun grenade during a 2014 protest. "And this time it was a colonel, great! Additionally, it means one less Macron voter," he continued.A national ceremony was held for Medves at the Hotel des Invalides in Paris on Wednesday. French President Emmanuel Macron awarded the deceased officer France's highest accolade, the Legion d'Honneur, saying that the 44-year-old symbolized the "French spirit of resistance."</s>A vegan activist in France who posted a Facebook message offering “zero sympathy” for a butcher killed by an Islamist militant during an attack last week has been given a seven-month suspended prison sentence for the remarks.

The vegan cheesemaker and animal rights activist, named as Myriam by local media, went before a judge on Thursday to face a charge of condoning terrorism. The case comes two days after a leftwing activist received a one-year suspended sentence after hailing the death of gendarme Arnaud Beltrame in the attack in the town of Trèbes.

The charge can be brought against anyone suspected of approving terrorism or commenting on it favourably. Doing so online carries a maximum jail sentence of five years and a fine of €75,000 (£66,000).

On Monday night, police spotted a Facebook message about the killing of butcher Christian Medves at a Super U supermarket in Trèbes last week during a shooting spree by a man claiming allegiance to the Islamic State group.

“So then, you are shocked that a murderer is killed by a terrorist,” wrote the animal rights activist. “Not me. I’ve got zero compassion for him, there’s some justice in it.”

France’s butchers’ federation said it had filed the legal complaint against the author of the Facebook post.



With France mourning the four victims of the gunman’s rampage, the message sparked outrage online and the author later deleted it but prosecutors decided to go ahead with pressing charges for condoning terrorism, a legal source told AFP.

“I can understand that you can love and defend animals, but not to the point where you hate humans,” Franck Alberti, a lawyer who is close to the butcher’s family, was quoted as saying by Le Parisien newspaper.

The vegan activist lives in Saint-Gaudens, a village not far from the Pyrenees mountains and the town of Trèbes.

Moroccan-born Radouane Lakdim killed four people during his rampage, including three people in a supermarket in Trèbes. Among the victims there were Beltrame and Medves, a 50-year-old father of two who was head of the meat section in the Super U.

The La Depeche du Midi newspaper published a message from the vegan activist in which she said she had deleted her comment within two hours and thought it was visible only to her friends, not to the public.

A leftwing French activist who had stood for parliament last June, Stéphane Poussier, was given a one-year suspended jail term on Tuesday over comments he posted on Twitter over the same attack.

Poussier had welcomed the death of Lt Col Beltrame, a gendarme who exchanged himself for a woman being held hostage but was then killed in an act.

“Whenever a policeman is shot ... I think of my friend Rémi Fraisse,” Poussier wrote, referring to an environmental activist killed by a stun grenade fired by police during a 2014 protest over a dam. “And this time it was a colonel, great! Additionally, it means one less Macron voter,” he added.

President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday led a national tribute to Beltrame, who has been hailed as a hero. A ceremony for the three civilians killed was held on Thursday morning.</s>A vegan activist in France who posted a Facebook message said to be insulting to a butcher killed by an Islamist militant during an attack last week is due to appear in court, reports say.

She is alleged to have said she had “zero compassion” for the victim.

She is to appear before a judge for condoning terrorism.

In last week’s attack, Radouane Lakdim killed four people, three of them in a supermarket in Trebes, including butcher Christian Medvès.

The activist was detained by police in Saint-Gaudens, not far from Toulouse, in the south-west of the country.

“So does it shock you that a murderer gets killed by a terrorist? Not me, I have zero compassion for him, there is still justice,” she is said to have posted, according to a judicial source quoted by the AFP news agency.

Condoning terrorism carries a maximum seven-year jail sentence and a fine of up to €100,000 (£88,000).

Her appearance in court comes two days after a left-wing activist received a one-year suspended sentence for hailing the death of another victim of the same attack, gendarme Arnaud Beltrame.

France’s butchers federation said it had filed a legal complaint against the author of the post, which has been removed.

Lt-Col Beltrame, 44, died after being shot when Radouane Lakdim – who claimed to be a supporter of the Islamic State group – stormed the Trèbes supermarket on Friday.

He has been hailed as a national hero after trading places with one of the hostages.

Sixteen people were injured, two seriously, in what was the worst jihadist attack under Mr Macron’s presidency. The gunman was shot dead by police.</s>French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday said a policeman who died after offering himself as a hostage in a jihadist attack last week was "full of French resistance," as he led a national ceremony in Paris in honor of the man.

Lieutenant-Colonel Arnaud Beltrame, 44, was the last person to be killed in the shooting spree that left four people dead on March 23, in the southwestern towns of Carcassonne and Trebes.

Beltrame had taken the place of a woman who had been held as the final hostage in a supermarket by 25-year-old gunman Redouane Lakdim, who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State.

Macron compared Arnaud Beltrame's actions to those of France's World War II heroes and said his example would "remain etched in French hearts."

"To accept to die so the innocent can live — that is the essence of what it means to be a soldier," Macron said. "Others, even many who are brave, would have wavered or hesitated."

He had hoped he could negotiate with the attacker once customers and staff had been cleared from the supermarket, but Lakdim shot him and slit his throat.

Macron gave the eulogy at Les Invalides, a historic complex, which is home to France's army museum and a veterans' retirement center.

About 200 of Beltrame's colleagues from the gendarmerie, a national police force, which is part of the military, attended the ceremony in Paris.

Across the country, police stations paused for a minute's silence to honor their fallen colleague.

Macron's government has been criticized by right-wing opponents who say the attack was preventable.

Lakdim had been on a list of suspected terrorists since 2014 and was being monitored. He also had previous convictions for drug use and handling a banned weapon.

Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Front, accused the government of using the grief over Beltrame's death to "escape from its own incompetence and cowardice" in failing to combat Islamic extremism.

Prime Minister Edouard Philippe responded to the criticism on Tuesday in parliament saying, "Those who say ignorantly that this attack could have been avoided, those who promise people zero risk — I say to them, these people bear a heavy responsibility in speaking so casually."

Philippe dismissed right-wing proposals to introduce a complete ban on ultra-conservative Salafism or "preemptively" detain radical Islamists.

France already has a "legal arsenal" to "understand, monitor and sanction" extremists, Philippe said.

In France, more than 200 people have died in jihadist attacks over the past three years.

This article was originally published on DW.com. Its content is created separately from USA TODAY.</s>The officer who offered to be swapped for a female hostage was identified as Col. Arnaud Beltrame. (Photo | AP)

RENNES, FRANCE: A left-wing French politician has been arrested over a tweet apparently celebrating the death of a policeman who was hailed a hero after he took the place of a hostage and was killed by a jihadist gunman.

Police arrested Stephane Poussier at his home in Dives-sur-Mer, northwest France, on Sunday after he sent two tweets welcoming the death of Lieutenant-Colonel Arnaud Beltrame.

"Whenever a policeman is shot... I think of my friend Remi Fraisse," Poussier said on Twitter, referring to an environmental activist killed by a stun grenade fired by police during a 2014 protest over a dam.

"And this time it was a colonel, great! Additionally, it means one less Macron voter," he added.

Beltrame was shot and stabbed to death after offering himself in exchange for a woman being used as a human shield by Radouane Lakdim who had already killed three other people in a rampage on Friday.

A national tribute is to be held for Beltrame, who President Emmanuel Macron said had "died a hero".

Poussier's remarks provoked strong reactions and his Twitter account was disabled.

"Stephane Poussier is in custody since 11:30 this morning for justifying acts of terrorism after comments published yesterday on his Twitter account," local prosecutor David Pamart confirmed to AFP late Sunday.

He could face up to seven years in prison and a fine of 100,000 euros ($124,000).

Poussier stood unsuccessfully in elections last year as a candidate for the La France Insoumise (France Unbowed) party of radical leftwinger Jean-Luc Melenchon.

His comments were condemned by the party and Melenchon, who said on Twitter that it would on Monday file a complaint against him for justifying terrorism.</s>The French policeman killed in last Friday's attack on a supermarket in southern France has been honoured in a ceremony, led by President Emmanual Macron. Lieutenant Colonel Arnaud Beltrame swapped places with a hostage during the supermarket attack in Trebes, saving her life, but losing his own. He has been posthumously awarded France's highest award for bravery.
French left-wing activist Stephane Poussier receives a one-year suspended term for praising the death of a policeman in a terrorist attack.