In a significant ruling, a French court has sentenced an Algerian online influencer to 18 months in prison for inciting terrorism on TikTok. Identified as 25-year-old Youcef A., known by his social media moniker Zazou Youssef, he was found guilty in the western city of Brest for advocating violence.
Prosecutor Camille Miansoni had sought a two-year sentence for the charges, which carry a maximum penalty of seven years. The case stemmed from a video Youssef posted on December 31, in which he called for attacks in France and incited violence in Algeria.
The police prefect of Finistere, Alain Espinasse, initiated a judicial investigation after being alerted to the video. Authorities revealed that Youssef was living in France on a temporary residency permit and had previously appealed a sentence for vandalism linked to the riots of 2023.
In addition to his prison term, the court barred Youssef from residing in France for the next decade. TikTok responded by confirming that they had banned the account associated with the video for violating their policies on hate speech.
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