France’s interior minister, was facing calls for his resignation on Friday after he was convicted in a Paris criminal court of making racist remarks about immigrants of North African descent.
Brice Hortefeux, who is also one of President Sarkozy’s oldest friends, was fined €750 for the remarks made last September and ordered to pay €2,000 in damages and costs to the anti-racist lobby group that pressed charges
The opposition socialists demanded Mr Hortefeux’s resignation, arguing that his conviction for a racist slur disqualified him as minister responsible public order and the fight against discrimination
FT.com / Europe - French minister convicted of racism