Blagodariov, controversial influencer, convicted of anti-Semitic, racist and homophobic parodies
Cédric M., alias "Blagodariov" on social networks, was sentenced this Monday to four months of suspended prison by the 17th correctional chamber of the Paris judicial court. The 43-year-old man, unemployed and holder of a degree in Russian, was prosecuted for having distributed on Telegram and YouTube parodies of French songs with racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic remarks.
On trial since last June for "public incitement to hatred or violence" against several ethnic and religious groups, Blagodariov has admitted to having published dozens of videos in which he distorted popular songs. Among them, a parody of They are hitting the bamboos by Philippe Lavil, entitled They are hitting the Bantus, or Little Marine, inspired by winner Mistral by Renaud, containing explicitly racist and violent lyrics.
Despite these accusations, Blagodariov defended himself by assuring that his videos were intended to "have fun" and "provoke, but just for provocation, not to encourage acts of violence." He added that he had no militant goals, while admitting that he "enjoys saying bad things and seeing people get outraged."
Spreading hate under the guise of humor
The court rejected this defense, emphasizing that "the humor here is not intended to make people laugh, but on the contrary contributes to the dissemination of hateful remarks, hidden under a veneer of derision." The prosecutor supported this decision by recalling that it is dangerous to trivialize racist and anti-Semitic speeches, even under the cover of humorous songs, and even more so when they are easily accessible to a young audience.
Several associations fighting racism, anti-Semitism and homophobia, including SOS Racisme, the Jewish Observatory of France and the LICRA, had joined the case as civil parties. Their lawyer stressed that this type of content contributes to "the liberation of racist speech" in society.
In addition to the sentences for incitement to hatred, Blagodariov faced charges of public insult and condoning crimes against humanity. One of his videos, for example, promoted Nazi symbols such as runes and the swastika, which the court said "characterizes the condoning of this crime against humanity."
Despite his attempts to downplay the significance of his actions by calling them "mere provocations," Blagodariov was found guilty by the Paris courts. This case is part of a broader fight against the spread of hateful content on social networks, which are becoming privileged platforms for spreading extremist discourse.
With this conviction, the authorities hope to send a clear message about the seriousness of hate speech and the responsibility of online content creators.
