Far-right protesters try to hijack Houellebecq race trial

The trial of the bestselling French novelist Michel Houellebecq for incitement to racial hatred turned into a political circus yesterday.

To Mr Houellebecq's own apparent dismay, the court was invaded by far-right activists trying to hijack his legal battle against Islamic groups. The 11 supporters of the ultra-right National Movement, a breakaway from the National Front, stripped off their shirts when the trial began, revealing T-shirts with the slogan: "Marianne voilée, Marianne violée" (Marianne veiled, Marianne raped). Marianne is the young woman who symbolises the French Republic. The 11 were bundled out of court.

Mr Houellebecq, 45, whose novel Platform has just entered the British bestsellers' list, is accused by four Islamic groups of inciting racial and religious hatred in an interview with the magazine Lire. Mr Houellebecq said he rejected all monotheistic religions but the "most stupid religion" was Islam. To read the Koran was to be "shocked", he said.

If found guilty, Mr Houellebecq could be fined €48,000 or sent to prison for up to one year. The author, whose mother converted to Islam when he was six, told the court he had "not the slightest contempt" for Muslims, but "as much contempt as ever for Islam". Mr Houellebecq said nobody should take his ideas seriously because he frequently changed his mind. It was absurd to expect him to come up with a coherent, political argument, he told the court.

Lawyers for the Islamic groups said he was not being tried for a work of art, but a gratuitous personal attack on the Islamic religion.

Judgment is expected in several weeks.