AFPThe French government has doubled its fines for those found guilty of racial or discriminatory defamation in "non-public" statements. Businesses whose directors or employees are found to have made discriminatory statements will now face potential fines of up to €7,500 for a one-off incident. And in addition to paying up, under the new law guilty parties may also have to undertake community service and enrol on a "citizenship training course" which they must pay for themselves. Previously, abuse which took place in a non-public place was only subject to a fine of up to €750. Discriminatory abuse committed in a public place, however, can land the guilty parties a six-month jail sentence and €22,500 fine, which doubled if the statement was judged defamatory.

Source: The Local August 24, 2017 15:00 UTC