BOBIGNY, France—A French criminal court on Wednesday convicted three Air France workers of aggravated assault and sentenced them to suspended jail terms for accosting two company executives and tearing off their shirts, an incident that caused uproar in the country a year ago.

The assault on the executives, which took place during a union protest, was televised and featured prominently in media around the world. The French government, which owns a minority stake in Air France, had backed the management, and ministers said the violence was unacceptable.

The tribunal in Bobigny, a northern suburb of Paris near the Charles de Gaulle airport, gave Fabrice Lhermitte a four-month suspended jail sentence and Pascal Maquet and Vincent Martinez three-months suspended sentences. They were also fined €500 ($532) each plus symbolic damages to the company.

A suspended sentence means the men won't go to jail unless they are convicted in other cases in the near future.

Soufiane Hakiki, their lawyer, said they would appeal the decision.

The sentences though mainly symbolic are harsh by French standards, as authorities are generally lenient with damage caused during labor protests. In many cases, workers haven't been bothered after damaging company facilities.

The judges mainly followed the prosecution's requests.

The French arm of Franco-Dutch group Air France-KLM welcomed the convictions in a statement: "Air France considers this ruling is the only one that could answer coherently; it confirms any physical violence is intolerable."

Ten other Air France workers were sentenced at the same trial to pay a fine of €500 each for damaging company property.

"The ruling is a scandal," said attorney Lilia Mhissen, who represented 11 of the 15 defendants. "The only thing that mattered was to give Air France satisfaction." She said she would recommend her clients to appeal the judgment.

During the case, defense lawyers insisted the TV footage showed their clients were protesting but didn't prove unambiguously their were involved in the violence against the two executives.

Mr. Hakiki said the convictions will make his clients' case more difficult in the labor court where, in a separate case, they are opposing their dismissal.

The incident happened on Oct. 5, 2015, when hundreds of Air France workers gathered in front of the company's headquarters to protest against a management plan that involved the cutting as many as 2,900 jobs to make the company leaner and better positioned to compete against low-cost airlines and Gulf carriers that are eating into long-haul routes.

Angry workers broke into the conference room where Air France top executives were discussing the plan with union representatives. While most of the company's executives—including Chief Executive Frederic Gagey—left, Xavier Broseta, the company's human resources chief at the time, and Pierre Plissonnier, the head of long-haul operations stayed and tried to calm down the mob.

Both were then evacuated by security officials, while angry workers tore down their suit jackets and shirts. The two men climbed on a fence to escape.

The incident caused outrage in the country. French Prime Minister Manuel Valls defended the company's management and criticized the protesters, while the left-wing CGT labor union defended the demonstrators, blaming the company's management for the clash.

Write to Inti Landauro at inti.landauro@wsj.com

 

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

November 30, 2016 08:55 ET (13:55 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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