A 50-year-old activist "yellow vests" from Pas-de-Calais, will be tried in June for "
insulting the President of the Republic
" and incurs a fine of up to 12,000 euros, for having described Emmanuel Macron as "
junk
" on his Facebook page, we learned on Wednesday from the prosecutor.
This woman born in 1966 was arrested at her home on Friday and placed in police custody, following a complaint lodged by the sub-prefecture, for "insult
to anyone holding public authority
" and "
insult to the President of the Republic
" , explained to AFP the prosecutor of Saint-Omer, Mehdi Benbouzid, confirming information from La Voix du Nord.
Eve of the President's interview
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 junk 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.
A photograph, “
Distributed by another activist
”, also showed her “
Posing
” in front of a “
Registration 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
”.
Read alsoBakers, new "yellow vests" on roundabouts
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
", said Mehdi Benbouzid.
"
We want to make an example of me
," lamented this woman to the daily La Voix du Nord, referring to the 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.
