The European Parliament has removed immunity from one of its members and leader of the nationalist French National Front, Marine Le Pen. The decision means that Le Pen is likely to face charges in France for incitement to hatred and discrimination.
A prosecutor in Lyon asked for Le Pen's immunity to be lifted after Le Pen compared the sight of Muslims praying in the streets to the Nazi occupation. While perhaps a stupid thing to say, any country or institution that had a sensible attitude towards free speech would allow for such statements to be made without the threat of prosecution. The removal of Le Pen's immunity is only the latest example that the European Union and France do not believe the freedom to make dumb and offensive statements is a freedom worth protecting.
From the BBC:
The European Parliament has removed the immunity of the French far-right leader and MEP Marine Le Pen, paving the way for her prosecution in France. French prosecutors opened a case against Ms Le Pen in 2011 after she compared Muslims praying in the streets to the Nazi occupation of France. Ms Le Pen, leader of the National Front (FN), is accused of incitement to hatred and discrimination.
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