A defence lawyer at the HyperCacher murder trial has caused outrage by demanding that Jewish lawyers representing victims and their families are tested for Covid-19.

Despite the trial focusing on an attack on a kosher grocery store, the presiding judge refused to adjourn for Yom Kippur, which meant that the relatives and their Jewish lawyers were unable to attend on Monday.

But when they returned after YomTov, they discovered that Isabelle Coutant-Peyre, the lawyer representing Ali Riza Polat, the most prominent suspect accused of being Amedy Coulibaly’s accomplice and of helping him get weapons and organise the attack, had asked the court to subject all lawyers who had observed Yom Kippur to a Covid test.

Ms Coutant-Peyre — who is ‘married’ to the terrorist Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, known as Carlos the Jackal, via a prison ceremony which has no legal validity — asked the judge to ban the lawyers from attending the trial “unless they underwent a Covid test”.

One of the Jewish lawyers involved told the court: “This is a trial of antisemitism and yet even here Jews are being stigmatised. I will not allow this”.

“This is appalling,” said another lawyer. “Presiding judge, this cannot be tolerated in court.” On Wednesday, presiding judge Regis de Jorna said, “lawyers can express themselves freely but they also have to be respectful, dignified, honourable and subtle.”

Defence lawyers said they were shocked by the insinuation there was antisemitism behind their demand that Jews be tested.