This woman born in 1966 was arrested at her home on Friday March 24 and placed in police custody, following a complaint filed by the sub-prefecture, for “insulting a person holding public authority” and “insulting the president of the Republic”
A 50-year-old activist “yellow vests” from Pas-de-Calais, will be tried in June for “insulting the President of the Republic” and faces a fine of up to 12,000 euros, for having described Emmanuel Macron as “junk” on his Facebook page. This woman born in 1966 was arrested at her home on Friday March 24 and placed in police custody, following a complaint filed by the sub-prefecture, for “insulting a person holding public authority” and “insulting the president of the Republic”.
In this complaint, the sub-prefect reported two publications, including a message published “on the personal page” of the respondent on March 21, the day before Emmanuel Macron’s interview on the 1 p.m. news from TF1 and France 2 on pension reform. She wrote: “The garbage will talk to you tomorrow at 1:00 p.m., for people who are nothing, it’s always on television that we find garbage,” detailed the prosecutor.
“They want to make me an example”
A photograph, “released by another activist”, also showed her “posing” in front of an “inscription in fluorescent yellow paint on the pavement” of a roundabout, which also insulted the head of state. After investigation, the qualification of contempt referring to this inscription “was not retained”. The prosecution prosecuted the 50-year-old only on the basis of her own Facebook publication, for insult “by word, writing, image or means of communication by electronic means”, an offense under press law.
This offense is “punished by a criminal fine of 12,000 euros”, but “not by prison”, explained the prosecutor of Saint-Omer, Mehdi Benbouzid. “They want to make an example of me,” lamented this woman to the daily The voice of the Northevoking many insults uttered on social networks against Emmanuel Macron.
According to the prosecutor “generally, few complaints” are filed for this type of facts, and in matters of the press, investigations are only opened “when there is a prior complaint”. The woman will be tried on June 20 at 1:30 p.m. at the Saint-Omer court.
