In a press release issued on Friday 21 June, the Montargis public prosecutor’s office announced that it had opened an investigation following the broadcast of “discriminatory” comments in the programme Envoyé Spécial. One of the defendants is linked to the Montargis judicial court

The episode broadcast the previous day featured the testimony of Divine Kinkela, a care assistant who was the victim of racism by her neighbours, who are militants of the Rassemblement National. She reported being called a “bonobo” and having heard her neighbour tell her to “go to the kennel”.

The Montargis public prosecutor’s office states that the remarks and behaviour reported may be classified as public and non-public racial insults, public incitement to discrimination, and racially motivated violence without incapacity. The maximum penalty for these offences is three years’ imprisonment and a €45,000 fine.

Given that one of the people potentially involved belongs to the Montargis judicial court, the public prosecutor’s office decided to immediately formalise a request for deportation. In accordance with article 43 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, this request was sent to the Orléans public prosecutor’s office to transfer the direction of this investigation to another jurisdiction,” explained Jean-Cédric Gaux, the Montargis public prosecutor.