The Facts
Prosecutors are seeking life sentences for nine other defendants. Life sentences have only occurred four other times in France's history, for crimes related to rape and murder of children.
A special French court on Wed. found 20 men guilty of involvement in the 2015 ISIS attacks on the Bataclan theater, Paris cafes, and France's national stadium that killed 130 people.
The Spin
Narrative A
This trial has been a crucial step in the nation addressing its collective trauma over the atrocious 2015 attacks. The judicial system has finally given one of these radicals the life sentence he deserves, and every terrorist like him should face the same consequence from here on out.
Narrative B
While this trial has certainly been critical in bringing the remaining survivor of the group behind the attacks to justice, it also gave Abdeslam a platform to generate additional trauma through his hate speech. He may have apologized, but his apology is overshadowed by his provocative speech throughout the trial.
