By Daily Sports Nigeria on December 18, 2023

Algerian international footballer Youcef Atal goes on trial in France Monday accused of inciting hatred after posting a video in which a Palestinian preacher purportedly threatens Israel with a “black day”.

Atal, who plays for Ligue 1 side Nice, shared the video on his Instagram account, which has 3.2 million followers, shortly after the attack by Hamas militants on Israel on October 7 in which 1,139 people were killed.

In an extract of the footage seen by AFP, the preacher, Mahmoud Al Hasanat, at first talked about the plight of 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, who quickly deleted the post and issued an apology, was suspended by his club while prosecutors probed the incident for suspected “justification of terrorism”.

But they dropped that line of investigation after watching the video and questioning the player, instead charging him with “incitement to religious hatred”.

Two associations, the International League against Racism and anti-Semitism (Licra) and the Jewish Observatory of France, have brought civil actions against the player.

Source Punch Ng

Posted December 18, 2023

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