Frenchman arrested for making sons watch 'sickening' jihad videos
A father of three, accused of making his young children watch videos glorifying jihad, is charged with "defending terrorism"
Dozens of people have been arrested across France on charges of defending or glorifying terrorism since the attacks in Paris earlier this month on Charlie Hebdo magazine and on a Jewish supermarket that left 17 people dead.
Rory Mulholland
2:54PM GMT 25 Jan 2015
A Frenchman has been charged with "defending terrorism" for allegedly forcing his three young children to watch "sickening" violent videos glorifying jihad.
The 45-year-old was charged in the southern town of Valence after one of his sons complained to school authorities that he had been made to watch the videos during the weekends he spent with his divorced father.
The man was also charged with parental violence against minors under 15 for allegedly beating his children, all boys aged six, nine and ten, and with failing to fulfil his legal obligations as a parent, the prosecutor's office in Valence said.
Local media reported that when police searched the man's home last week, they found videos of decapitations being carried out by extremists from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) group that controls swathes of Iraq and Syria.
One police source said the videos were "sickening".
Police also reportedly found photos of the man's sons dressed in hunting gear, holding guns and proclaiming their support for Isil.
Dozens of people have been arrested across France on charges of defending or glorifying terrorism since the attacks in Paris earlier this month on Charlie Hebdo magazine and on a Jewish supermarket that left 17 people dead.
The charge can lead to a jail sentence of up to seven years and fines of up to €100,000 (£75,000).
Among those detained was Dieudonne, a controversial comedian who appeared to compare himself to Amedy Coulibaly, the gunman who killed four people at the kosher supermarket in Paris.
Dieudonne M'Bala M'Bala
Amnesty International has warned that France "risks violating freedom of expression" with this wave of arrests.
It cited the case of a man charged with the offence after shouting in the street "I am proud to be a Muslim, I do not like Charlie, they were right to do that".
"Vaguely-defined offences such as 'defence of terrorism' risk criminalising statements or other forms of expression which, while undoubtedly offensive to many, fall well short of inciting others to violence or discrimination," Amnesty said.
