It is a battle that is more cultural than legal and is being played out before the 17th criminal chamber of the Paris court.
On the one hand, Christophe Girard, elected official from the 18th arrondissement of Paris, denounces “McCarthyism” and “cancel culture”.
On the other, six feminist activists — five women and one man — defend freedom of expression and the end of impunity.
It was in front of a packed courtroom that the six defendants and Christophe Girard were heard at length by the court on Thursday March 14.
In 2020, the Mr. Culture of Paris town hall, Christophe Girard, resigned a few weeks after the municipal elections, under pressure from several elected officials and activists.
They denounced his links with the author Gabriel Matzneff, a self-proclaimed pedophile, revealed by investigations by the New York Times and Mediapart.
The elected official then filed a complaint for insults and defamation, targeting nine Twitter publications.
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