Cédric Herrou, an organic olive farmer who has become a local hero for providing shelter for Africans, convicted in Nice court

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

A French farmer who became a local hero for helping African migrants cross the border from Italy and providing them with shelter has been given a suspended €3,000 fine for aiding illegal arrivals.

Cédric Herrou’s trial in a court in Nice had become a focal point in the ongoing debate about refugees and migrants in France, and the French law against helping or sheltering them. The current Socialist government amended the law against assisting migrants, but it remains illegal to help them cross borders.

Herrou’s olive farm sits in a valley on the border with Italy, near a popular route for migrants trying to slip past border controls.

The organic farmer, 37, has been unapologetic about helping people travelling through Europe after the often perilous boat journey across the Mediterranean.

“If we have to break the law to help people, let’s do it,” he told supporters outside the court during his trial.

“Our role is to help people overcome danger, and the danger is this border,” he said, accusing French police of detaining thousands of minors and dumping them back across the border. He insisted he was acting on humanitarian grounds.

In October, Herrou led a group of activists who occupied a disused holiday village belonging to the SNCF state railway company and opened it up to a group of migrants. Police intervened after three days to evacuate the makeshift camp and arrested Herrou.

Herrou was convicted for helping migrants cross from Italy but he was acquitted of other charges of helping migrants in France, including sheltering them in the disused SNCF holiday village.