A French politician has been fined almost $4,000 under a French law banning ‘incitement of hatred’ against minorities.

Christian Vanneste, a member of Jacques Chirac’s ruling UMP party, received the fine in a court in Douai, in northern France. He was also forced to pay more than $2,000 in court costs.

The law, which was updated two years ago to include homosexuals, makes it a criminal offence to ‘incite hatred’ against minorities. Under the legislation, Mr Vanneste could have faced imprisonment. The legislation allows a maximum sentence of three years.

In 2004, Mr Vanneste said that homosexuality was “inferior” to heterosexuality and would be “dangerous for humanity if it was pushed to the limit”. He made the remarks after the mayor of a small community in southwestern France performed France’s first gay marriage

The marriage was later declared illegal. However, homosexual activists charged Mr Vanneste with a breach of the new law.

It is the first time a member of the French Parliament has been charged under the law.

Mr Vanneste has said that he will appeal the case to the European Court of Human Rights. Such an appeal is unlikely to succeed French legal authorities say.

Following the Douai court ruling homosexual activists who leveled the charge said in a statement they will continue to charge politicians who make similar remarks, adding that hate speech inspires and legitimizes verbal and physical attacks.