Dominique Sopo
Role at the time: President of SOS Racisme, interviewed on RTL Matin
Statement summary
On RTL the morning after Zemmour's announcement, Sopo calls his candidacy a republican problem, says Zemmour was convicted for remarks of incredible violence, including at the 2019 Convention de la droite, and argues that remarks portraying Black people, Arabs, Muslims and foreigners as existential dangers give license to serious violence.
“These remarks give license to extremely serious acts. ... I am not saying that Éric Zemmour has blood on his hands: I am saying that he may have it on his conscience, if he has one (Translated from French. Original: Ces propos autorisent des passages à l'acte extrêmement graves. ... Je ne dis pas qu'Éric Zemmour a du sang sur les mains : je dis qu'il en a peut-être sur la conscience, si tant est qu'il en ait une)”
Why we used this label
The reference point is the remarks for which French courts have definitively convicted Éric Zemmour of racial insult and incitement to hatred. Sopo describes the remarks behind Zemmour's convictions, including his 2019 Convention de la droite speech, as very racist and incredibly violent, and says such remarks give license to serious acts of violence, which condemns them.