Sarkozy Defies Conviction, Receives Hero's Welcome for Prison Memoir

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, the first head of state in modern France to serve time behind bars, received a hero's welcome from hundreds of supporters on Wednesday. They gathered outside a Parisian bookstore to meet the 70-year-old politician and get his autograph for his 216-page memoir, 'Diary of a Prisoner'. The book chronicles Sarkozy's 20-day prison experience, which began when he was sentenced to five years in prison for seeking illicit funding from Libya for his successful 2007 presidential campaign. A judge later ordered his release pending appeal, allowing him to leave La Sante prison in Paris after serving just 20 days. Supporters, including the Europe Minister Benjamin Haddad, turned out in force to show their admiration for the former president. However, a group of radical feminist activists from Femen attempted to disrupt the gathering, shouting slogans and calling for Sarkozy to be returned to prison. Despite his recent legal troubles, Sarkozy remains a polarizing figure in French politics, with some viewing him as a hero and others as a symbol of corruption. His book tour is set to continue on Thursday in Marseille, with the former president scheduled to present 'Diary of a Prisoner' to a new audience. The memoir offers a personal account of Sarkozy's time in prison, including his experiences of solitude and his decision to pray for strength in the face of what he perceives as an injustice. The book has been published by Fayard, a major French publisher with ties to the right-wing billionaire Vincent Bollore. For many of Sarkozy's supporters, his imprisonment is seen as a miscarriage of justice, and they are rallying behind him as he promotes his book. 'I think this is an important moment, given that he is the only president to have gone to prison,' said 18-year-old Virgile Dodeigne. Others praised Sarkozy's 'integrity' and called him 'the last great president of the Republic'.