In 2017, France’s lower court excused murderer Kobili Traoré for killing his 65-year-old Jewish neighbor, Sarah Halimi. He was deemed to be unaccountable for his actions due to his heavy intake of marijuana. The court chalked up his savage attack on Sarah to compromised “discernment” or consciousness, even though he was screaming “Allahu akbar” and antisemitic slogans before beating up Halimi and throwing her out the window. He was certainly alert enough to be shouting about Allah and insulting Sarah’s Jewishness, but that didn’t matter to the court; hence the Jerusalem Post line: “In France, if you smoke cannabis, you can kill a Jew.” It does look that way in this appalling and frightening travesty of justice (and display of antisemitism) by a French court.
This story has three distinct parts: i) the denial of deeply rooted Islamic antisemitism; ii) the apparent antisemitism of the lower court ruling itself, given its dismissal of overt evidence; and iii) the willful blindness to the motivation behind yet another Allahu akbar-shouting jihadist committing murder. The Leftist establishment police usually explain away jihad attacks as resulting from mental illness; now this one is because of cannabis.
In July of last year, Jihad Watch reported:
The World Zionist Organization (WZO) is “working on a plan to bring hundreds of thousands of French Jews to Israel.” The population of Jews in France is roughly 453,000.
Here’s why, according to WZO Vice-Chair Yaakov Hagoel: “Anti-Semitism is increasing and France is surrendering to jihad.”
Hagoel continued:
“The worsening economic situation, and the growth of radical Islam are creating a one-time opportunity to break down bureaucratic barriers and bring the Jews of France to Israel.”
Let’s hope for the sake of justice and for every other potential infidel victim that Kobili Traoré not only serves time in prison (he should never be released at all, but that would be next to impossible in France), but that he is added to a terrorist watch list and is adequately monitored. So far it looks promising: “an unnamed source told broadcaster Europe 1 on Wednesday that France’s advocate-general ‘will rule in favor of confirming the criminal irresponsibility of the perpetrator of the murder.'”
The higher court trial is expected to rule on “whether “the consumption of narcotics can be a cause for exonerating from penal responsibility in criminal matters.” At least that’s what a lawyer representing the Halimi family states.
“In France, if you smoke cannabis you can kill a Jew – Sarah Halimi case goes to high court,” by Sarah Chemla, Jerusalem Post, March 4, 2021:
In France, if you smoke cannabis, you can kill a Jew.
That’s basically what France’s lower court decided in December 2019, after excusing the alleged antisemitic murderer of a Jewish woman from a criminal trial because of his heavy intake of cannabis that supposedly compromised his “discernment,” or consciousness.
France’s Court of Cassation (appellate) began its deliberations Wednesday on whether or not to overrule the lower court’s decision not to try Kobili Traoré for killing Sarah Halimi in 2017 while shouting about Allah, a decision that was appealed last year.
At the time of the ruling, the judge cited psychiatric evaluations saying Traoré’s consumption of marijuana before the incident led to a “delirious episode” that made him not legally responsible for his actions. However, the judge also said that Traoré, who is in his 30s, killed Halimi because he is an antisemite.
On April 2017, Traoré, a 27-year-old Muslim man, beat Halimi, his 65-year-old Jewish neighbor, while screaming “Allah Akbar” (God is great) and antisemitic slogans before throwing her out of the window of her third-floor apartment to her death. The court said that he was not responsible for his actions, however, since he smoked an extensive dose of cannabis that “affected” his senses, a decision that sparked outrage among the French and International Jewish community.
According to Algemeiner, if Traoré’s criminal irresponsibility is confirmed by the highest court, he will be held in mental health institutions until doctors deem him fit to be released back into society, and the only penalty he would receive would be to be banned from visiting the site of the killing and having contact with Halimi’s family for 20 years.
However, an unnamed source told broadcaster Europe 1 on Wednesday that France’s advocate-general “will rule in favor of confirming the criminal irresponsibility of the perpetrator of the murder,” Algemeiner reported.
“How can we have a ‘discernment’ that is abolished, but the remainder of a conscience?” asked Muriel Ouaknine Melki, a lawyer representing the Halimi family, adding that French citizens as a whole had an important stake in Traoré facing trial, as they would then be able to establish whether “the consumption of narcotics can be a cause for exonerating from penal responsibility in criminal matters.”….
Frank Anderson says
In the US, the general rule in every state is that VOLUNTARY intoxication is not a defense. In some cases it can aggravate the crime (increase the charge and punishment0; and in a few it may mitigate the charge; but those are rare.
Please consult a currently licensed attorney practicing in your jurisdiction for any legal advice.
Frank Anderson says
There is a potential issue to follow: It is my understanding, to which I welcome correction, that Civil Law (French-Roman based law) does not follow previous cases with the same degree of care as Common Law (UK and US law). Thus even if the appeal overturns the lower court, the next case will start without concern for the ruling in this case. The Common Law term is “stare decisis” meaning stand by the decision.
mortimer says
Intoxication is not a defense for jihad.
The following is the justification for jihad:
The Koran’s 164 Jihad Verses: K 2:178-179, 190-191, 193-194, 216-218, 244; 3:121-126, 140-143, 146, 152-158, 165-167,169, 172-173, 195; 4:71-72, 74-077, 84, 89-91, 94-95,100-104; 5:33, 35, 82; 8:1, 5, 7, 9-10, 12, 15-17, 39-48, 57-60, 65-75; 9:5, 12-14, 16, 19-20, 24-26, 29, 36, 38-39, 41, 44, 52, 73, 81, 83, 86, 88, 92, 111, 120, 122-123; 16:110; 22:39, 58, 78; 24:53, 55; 25:52; 29:6, 69; 33:15, 18, 20, 23, 25-27, 50; 42:39; 47:4, 20, 35; 48:15-24; 49:15; 59:2, 5-8, 14; 60:9; 61:4, 11, 13; 63:4; 64:14; 66:9; 73:20; 76:8.
mortimer says
The legal argument is really that a Muslim is not guilty of conducting jihad when intoxicated.
Frank Anderson says
In France, that could possibly be true, and to us may be more likely true than we wish. In the US there is supposed to be only 2 sets of law, one for normal people and another for favored people. Search and do some reading on New York’s “depraved indifference murder” statute. If a normal person throws a rock off a bridge into a windshield or shoots into a passing railroad passenger car, killing a random human, that is murder. If a special favored person sends thousands of contagious, infected people into a large population of old, sick, disabled people causing them to die, it is a scandal. That was not what we were taught in law school. One law for all.
Mike says
and just another Peace full religion
when will the western world start to stand up to the hate
Michael Copeland says
The sense of the main subject sentence is not clear. This may be a translation issue. “France’s advocate-general ‘will rule in favor of confirming the criminal irresponsibility of the perpetrator of the murder’” seems to say that the advocate-general will confirm that Traore is NOT responsible for his actions.
Perhaps the intended meaning is that the advocate-general will rule in favour of making the lower court’s verdict “subject to confirmation”, as opposed to “confirming” it, in other words allowing the appeal to go forward.
Uncommon Sense says
I’ll have to remember that strategy the next time I want to kill someone I hate.
Chrissie01 says
they won’t apply it to you
Walter Sieruk says
This is an affront an and an abomination.
gravenimage says
So true.
Johnny B says
The West has clearly lost its mind. At least Jews have a nation that will receive them and protect them..
observer says
Yes, the West has indeed lost it’s mind.
EVIL BEYOND WORDS.
This ideology of this so-called ‘religion’ was spawned by evil.
There is no other way to look upon Islamic ideology: IT IS EVIL.
Here’s remembering Sarah Halimi and her berieved relatives. ✝️
Johnny B says
Yes, Islam IS evil. They always want to moderate and add “but not ALL Muslims are terrorists” and bla., bla., bla. That may be true, but if I as a Christian constantly heard “Christians” claim that it was OK or a commandment to kill non-Christians or converts, I would most certainly argue against them. I never hear anything like that from Muslims. How can that be unless they agree on a basic level??? If you consent you’re as guilty as the terrorists in my opinion.
JimJFox says
Time we all got away from conflating Muslims with Islam.
Just more slimy rhetoric from the woke left
Beneath the Veil of Consciousness says
I’ve heard of this strain of marijuana this poor misunderstood, unsuspecting imbiber was smoking.
It is known by many names including Jihad Joints, Anti-Semetic Sativa, and Sharia Smoke, just to name a few.
gravenimage says
Yeah, good question.
I admit I did smoke marijuana sometimes at parties when I was in college. The only effects it ever had on me was making me feel sleepy and giving me the munchies. Driven to murder Jews? Not so much…
Christopher Watson Watson says
This has to be most amazing case of sucking up to moslems. Or maybe it’s Dreyfus strikes again. Shame on French law.
DavidR says
Even if the murderers mental state was precipitated by a drug the court’s decision implies, but will not mention, the direction and content of his “delusions”. This man didn’t think the mafia or his TV were out to get him. He wasn’t concerned about Lizard shape shifters or sterilizing vaccines. Nope, smoking weed somehow caused his inner mujahadeen to come out and find a defenseless target. I doubt it. Maybe he ran out of weed and money, then knocked on the door of his Jewish neighbor asking to “borrow” some money and she told him to grow up adding that Muslims weren’t supposed to take drugs anyway. This was so true he took his own shame out on her.
gravenimage says
Exactly, David.
Moreover, if smoking marijuana *really* caused Muslims to murder their neighbors, then this would just be another good reason to keep them out of the country.
observer says
It begs the question: IS THE judge A CLOSET JIHADI ?! ?
gravenimage says
Probably not–more likely another dhimmi tool.
James Lincoln says
So this is how the law works in France.
A proper disclaimer should be inserted in all France travel brochures / websites – vacationers beware…
gravenimage says
France: Appeal in case of Muslim shouting ‘Allahu akbar’ who killed Jewish woman and was let off for being high
……………..
Yes–this was sickening. The idea that if you smoke marijuana, it is understandible if you go out and murder Jews. Grotesque in so many ways.
Giacomo Latta says
”In France, if you smoke cannabis you can kill a Jew”
If you can also do anything else, run over pedestrians while driving, kill judges, kill politicians and the like after having consumed cannabis, then perhaps there is no systemic antisemitism in France. With all the Islamic enclaves in France ridding the country of systemic antisemitism is not for tomorrow.
David M says
Unbelievable judgment by the lower court of France. They just resurrected the surrender monkey reputation of France. If the higher court doesn’t overturn this imagine how many Muslims will get high & go out killing people.
Dan says
“The court chalked up his savage attack on Sarah to compromised “discernment” or consciousness ”
The court was right, as evidenced by the fact that he was chanting “Allahu Akbar”