Prosecuted for having likened the police to "
a band of Nazis
" in a tweet, the "
yellow vest
" Jérôme Rodrigues defended himself on Wednesday February 24 before the Paris Criminal Court for wanting to attack the institution.
To read also: “yellow vests” tempted by the Elysee
The former plumber, stunned by a grenade fire during a demonstration in January 2019, had said this sentence in an exchange on the social network Twitter with the union Synergie-officers.
Words which had led, last September, to the filing of a complaint on the part of the Minister of the Interior, Gerald Darmanin, in his turn judging these "
despicable
"
comments on the network
and justifying the filing of a complaint by his will. to “
defend the honor of all police officers
”.
Both Jérôme Rodrigues and his lawyer, Arié Alimi, sought during the hearing to demonstrate that the insult, which is not denied, was not aimed at the police as a whole but the union and, more specifically, the people in charge of his Twitter account.
"
Despite his voluntary injury, Jérôme Rodrigues has never insulted the police at any time
" during his many speeches, insisted Me Alimi, before asking for the release of his client.
For the prosecution, on the contrary, the insult addressed to the entire police force "
is deduced from the very meaning of the message, it is not addressed only to the union
".
The State as well as Synergie-officiers, who also brought a civil action, each requested one euro for damages against Jerome Rodrigues, as well as the payment of legal costs.
The prosecution for its part did not pronounce, preferring to "
rely on the wisdom of the court
", recognizing that both interpretations were admissible.
One of the best known of the “
yellow vests
” movement, Jérôme Rodrigues lost an eye during a demonstration on January 26, 2019, while he was filming the arrival of the procession at the Place de la Bastille in Paris.
Two police officers were indicted on January 14, one for "
willful violence resulting in mutilation or permanent disability
" and the other for "
aggravated willful violence
".
The decision will be made on April 6.