French Prosecutors Open Case Over Billboards Depicting Macron As Hitler - Reports

PARIS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th July, 2021) Prosecutors in the city of Toulon on Tuesday launched a criminal case over billboards depicting President Emmanuel Macron as Hitler, France Bleu radio reported.

The investigation began after the billboards appeared in Toulon and in the La Seyne-sur-Mer commune. The doctored picture features Macron dressed as Hitler with the wording "Obey. Get vaccinated." Above the caption, the initial letters of Macron's party La République en Marche party are written in the form of swastika.

Legal proceedings have been initiated against the alleged author of the picture, local activist Michel-Ange Flori, who is now reportedly charged with defamatory libel. The author intended to caustically express his vision of mandatory vaccination for medical staff and health passes in France, the local Var-Matin newspaper reported.

Last Saturday, coronavirus protests erupted in several French cities. Protesters spoke out against the introduction of COVID-19 passes.