French far-right leader Marine Le Pen faced sharp criticism on Wednesday after tweeting a graphic image of an Isis beheading in response to a TV journalist who likened her National Front party to the jihadist group.
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They said the National Front leader’s tweet was shameful and accused her of exploiting the image for political purposes.
But judges in Lyon, in southeastern France, followed the state prosecutor’s recommendation that Le Pen be acquitted of charges of “inciting discrimination, violence or hatred toward a group of people based on their religious beliefs”.
Before the trial, the Muslim Council of France said that by “comparing French Muslims to Nazis”, Ms Le Pen had attacked their honour and taken liberties with history.
Soon afterward, Le Pen’s tweet disappeared.
He called the tweets “propaganda photos of Daesh”.
The parents of James Foley, a journalist executed by IS in 2012, expressed outrage at Le Pen’s tweets.
The image of Mr Foley was removed on Thursday morning.
She took over the party from her rabble-rousing father Jean-Marie Le Pen in 2011 and has worked hard to improve its image, but it remains staunchly nationalistic, and Marine Le Pen has said migration into Europe recalls the “barbarian invasions” of the fourth century.
She was facing a fine of 45,000 euros, or about $50,000, and a sentence of up to a year in prison.
Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, asked about the tweets in parliament, told lawmakers he has taken the case to a section of the judicial police that deals with illicit content on the Internet so it can look into the matter “as it does each time these photos are diffused”.
“At no point did I say the FN was like Daesh”, he insisted.
The family added: “As we have said before, our focus is on Jim’s life and all the good he did in the world”.
Speaking at a political meeting in December, 2010, Ms Le Pen complained about places in France where Muslims worshipped in the streets outside mosques when they were full.
‘We are only showing the hate-filled ignominy of those who (compare) us with killers, ‘ Collard, who was also placed under investigation, said by way of explanation.
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The National Front failed to win any contests in the second and final round of regional elections held on Sunday, but its anti-immigrant, anti-European Union and anti-Muslim positions have still garnered strong support from a segment of the French electorate.
