PARIS

Francois Burgat, a French researcher and well-known academic voice on politics and Islam, has been subjected to a torrent of criticism after declaring his "infinite respect" for Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

"I have more respect and appreciation for the leaders of Hamas than the leaders of the state of Israel. I don't think I am the only one, quite the opposite," he said on his official X account.

Burgat is no stranger to controversy, even more so since the cross-border Oct. 7 attack by Hamas' armed Al-Qassam Brigades and Israel's subsequent onslaught that left much of Gaza in ruins.

In an interview with Anadolu, Burgat criticized France's stance on Hamas, which he considers a capitulation by Paris to US and Israeli policy.

"On X, I had the opportunity to say that my respect for the leadership of Hamas is much stronger than for the leadership of the state of Israel," he said.

"Although I consider my statement to be very normal, it sparked a stormy campaign against me. Not only on social media, but most of French media has been insulting me over the past few days," he added.

Hamas, which has run the Gaza Strip since 2007, is considered a "terrorist organization" by the EU, including France.

"This is a bad sign of the end of France's freedom to evaluate its position in the Middle East," asserted Burgat, a retired researcher at France's National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) who has faced accusations of antisemitism over the post.

Eric Ciotti, head of conservative party The Republicans, accused Burgat of "calling for terrorism," saying his remarks were "unbearable and distort the memory of the forty French people who were killed by Hamas."

A spokesman for the far-right National Rally, Laurent Jacobelli, said of Burgat's remarks that "supporting Hamas does not constitute freedom of opinion, analysis or scientific research, but rather a call for murder and hatred."

Fearing an increase in tensions on French soil after the Oct. 7 attack, France's Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti asked prosecutors to take a "firm and rapid criminal response" against expressions of "antisemitism."

"Antisemitism is not an opinion; it is an offense. Advocating terrorism is an offense punishable by five and seven years of imprisonment, when it benefits from a certain amount of publicity," Dupond-Moretti said in a circular.

While many have called for sanctions against him, Burgat said he doubts official measures would be taken over his remarks on social media, saying the issue had not reached that level of "irrationality."

"Each of us has his own point of view, which is normal, and my position does not differ from the positions of the France Insoumise (France Unbowed) party, for instance, even though I do not belong to this political party," he said.

Burgat, 75, who has been known for his active defense of the Palestinian cause even before Oct. 7, described the attack as "the revolt of Gazan prisoners against their Israeli jailers."