Israel-Palestine, Apartheid, and Boycott: Baldassi v. France (European Court of Human Rights, 11 June 2020)

On 11 June 2020, the European Court of Human Rights ruled (by 7 votes to 0) that France violated Article 10 (freedom of expression) of the European Convention on Human Rights by bringing criminal prosecutions against pro-Palestinian activists. They were convicted of inciting racial discrimination after urging consumers at a supermarket near Mulhouse not to purchase goods from Israel. Their convictions were upheld by the Cour de cassation. Did the Strasbourg Court correctly conclude that Article 10 protects the right to call for a consumer boycott of goods from another country, and that the activists’ political expression did not involve any anti-Jewish hate speech (which is not protected by Article 10)? Why do these and other activists think that the situation in Israel-Palestine resembles the apartheid system in South Africa from 1948 to 1994, and that a civil-society boycott of Israel can be justified (morally, politically, and legally)?

Robert WINTEMUTE, Professor of Human Rights Law at at King's College London

La conférence se déroulera en anglais.
Participer à la réunion Zoom (ID de réunion : 937 9375 2771 - Code secret : 685529)