Youcef Atal, an Algerian football player, was given an eight-month suspended sentence by a French court for inciting religious hatred in a social media post about the war in Gaza. The Ligue 1 player, who is 27 years old and plays defence, was also fined 45,000 euros ($49,000) for sharing a video that called for a "black day for the Jews." These words were said in a video by speaker Mahmoud Al Hasanat that Atal shared on Instagram. Five days after Hamas attacked Israel, the tape was shared.
During his trip with the national team in Algeria, Atal shared the video. The next day, after Nice told him to, he took it down. He told the court he was sorry and that he didn't watch the whole video before sharing it because he wanted to send a message of peace. The court did not agree with his case, though.
Because he was found guilty, Atal will have to pay for a newspaper to print information about his sentence. He can't play for Nice until further notice, and the Professional Football League (LFP) banned him for seven games, but that ban has since ended. In spite of the problems, Atal has played three times for Algeria's national team and is now part of their group for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations. People in his home country have also helped him.
The case brings up the problem of athletes' use of social media and the fact that they need to think about how their posts might affect others. It also makes us think about the limits of free speech and how it should be used when talking about sensitive political and religious topics. People in his home country have helped him.
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