PARIS — A French farmer who smuggled African migrants to safety, defying the authorities in an effort that his supporters likened to the Underground Railroad, was essentially given a slap on the wrist by a court on Friday.
The farmer, Cédric Herrou, a bearded olive grower, has become something of a hero after he shepherded migrants across the Italian border and into the Roya Valley of southern France, challenging official policy of rounding up migrants and sending them to detention centers or deporting them.
A court in Nice ordered Mr. Herrou on Friday to pay a fine of 3,000 euros, or about $3,200. If he stays out of trouble for five years, he will not have to pay it.
The light sentence — almost a nonsentence, given that the prosecutor, Jean-Michel Prêtre, had asked for a tougher punishment — was an indication of how politically delicate the case against Mr. Herrou had become. He had popular opinion largely on his side — a fact the judges appeared to acknowledge in essentially letting him go with a warning.
At the end of a highly publicized trial last month, Mr. Prêtre had requested that Mr. Herrou, 37, be given a suspended eight-month prison term.
A 2012 law allows citizens to help migrants for humanitarian reasons. Before that legislation, such aid could result in a sentence of up to five years and a fine of up to €30,000. But Mr. Prêtre said that Mr. Herrou’s actions had gone beyond the scope of the law, helping migrants enter the country illegally instead of merely offering them shelter.
Last month, the readers of the newspaper Nice-Matin chose Mr. Herrou as “Azuréen of the Year,” a reference to people from the Côte d’Azur.
At the trial, Mr. Prêtre appeared contrite at times that the law had to be applied to Mr. Herrou, whose cause he praised as “noble.”
Mr. Herrou was cleared on Friday of the more severe charges of having helped illegal migrants stay on French territory and of having illegally hosted more than 50 Eritreans in an abandoned holiday resort.
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Agence France-Presse reported that Mr. Herrou had welcomed the decision in an address to a small crowd of supporters in front of the courthouse.
“We’ll carry on, because it’s necessary,” he told the crowd, according to the news agency.
Mr. Herrou told Europe 1 radio Friday morning that he is sheltering five migrant minors from Sudan and Eritrea at his home.
“There’s a deficiency of the state in France and in Italy, so I take action,” he said.
Mr. Herrou is not the only person to have appeared in court for illegally assisting migrants. Last month, Pierre-Alain Mannoni, a researcher, was acquitted by the same court in Nice of having offered a ride to migrants.
Border control has become a defining political issue in France in light of repeated terrorist attacks.
PARIS — A French farmer who smuggled African migrants to safety, defying the authorities in an effort that his supporters likened to the Underground Railroad, was essentially given a slap on the wrist by a court on Friday.
The farmer, Cédric Herrou, a bearded olive grower, has become something of a hero after he shepherded migrants across the Italian border and into the Roya Valley of southern France, challenging official policy of rounding up migrants and sending them to detention centers or deporting them.
A court in Nice ordered Mr. Herrou on Friday to pay a fine of 3,000 euros, or about $3,200. If he stays out of trouble for five years, he will not have to pay it.
The light sentence — almost a nonsentence, given that the prosecutor, Jean-Michel Prêtre, had asked for a tougher punishment — was an indication of how politically delicate the case against Mr. Herrou had become. He had popular opinion largely on his side — a fact the judges appeared to acknowledge in essentially letting him go with a warning.
At the end of a highly publicized trial last month, Mr. Prêtre had requested that Mr. Herrou, 37, be given a suspended eight-month prison term.
A 2012 law allows citizens to help migrants for humanitarian reasons. Before that legislation, such aid could result in a sentence of up to five years and a fine of up to €30,000. But Mr. Prêtre said that Mr. Herrou’s actions had gone beyond the scope of the law, helping migrants enter the country illegally instead of merely offering them shelter.
Last month, the readers of the newspaper Nice-Matin chose Mr. Herrou as “Azuréen of the Year,” a reference to people from the Côte d’Azur.
At the trial, Mr. Prêtre appeared contrite at times that the law had to be applied to Mr. Herrou, whose cause he praised as “noble.”
Mr. Herrou was cleared on Friday of the more severe charges of having helped illegal migrants stay on French territory and of having illegally hosted more than 50 Eritreans in an abandoned holiday resort.
Thank you for subscribing.
An error has occurred. Please try again later.
You are already subscribed to this email.
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Agence France-Presse reported that Mr. Herrou had welcomed the decision in an address to a small crowd of supporters in front of the courthouse.
“We’ll carry on, because it’s necessary,” he told the crowd, according to the news agency.
Mr. Herrou told Europe 1 radio Friday morning that he is sheltering five migrant minors from Sudan and Eritrea at his home.
“There’s a deficiency of the state in France and in Italy, so I take action,” he said.
Mr. Herrou is not the only person to have appeared in court for illegally assisting migrants. Last month, Pierre-Alain Mannoni, a researcher, was acquitted by the same court in Nice of having offered a ride to migrants.
Border control has become a defining political issue in France in light of repeated terrorist attacks.
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