French-Jewish presidential candidate Eric Zemmour was fined 10,000 euros ($11,400) on Monday for inciting racial hatred, Reuters reports.
The fine is over remarks Zemmour made in 2020 in which he called young migrants “killers, thieves and rapists”.
The court case concerned remarks he made on right-wing channel CNews in 2020 about migrants who arrive as unaccompanied children.
"They've got no reason for being here, they are thieves, they are killers, they are rapists, that's all they do, they should be sent back," said Zemmour, who is competing with Marine Le Pen and conservative Valerie Pecresse to challenge President Emmanuel Macron in April's presidential election.
Zemmour said he would appeal the ruling, according to Reuters. He stood by his 2020 comments, adding that the court was condemning him for expressing his views.
A senior CNews representative was also handed a fine over Zemmour's comments, lawyers said.
Despite being Jewish, Zemmour was criticized by France’s chief rabbi who described him as an antisemite.
During an interview for France 2 this past November, Rabbi Haim Korsia was asked whether Zemmour, the son of Jewish immigrants from Algeria, is an antisemite.
After first asking his interviewer whether Zemmour is Jewish, Rabbi Korsia replied: “Antisemite? Certainly. A racist? Definitely.”
Marion Lenne, a lawmaker for the centrist La République En Marche! party, criticized Zemmour as well and argued that he is adding to France’s anti-Semitism problem.