Le Pen loses defamation lawsuit

French far right leader Marine Le Pen’s defamation lawsuit against the satirical newspaper ‘Le Canard Enchaîné’ has been dismissed by a court in Paris on Tuesday. Back in 2011, the newspaper had reported that Le Pen insulted police officers after a drunken night with other far right organisations in Paris, in 2003. The police was called – allegedly – because of the noise. The now-leader of the Front National received the police officers, telling them: “it’s easier to persecute proper French people than Arab chavs.” Marine Le Pen denied saying these words, reported the newspaper. The magistrates who reviewed the case considered that the newspaper’s sources were serious. Other newspapers also reported the incident at the time, but were never sued by Le Pen.