You’d imagine France would be in line with the other European countries surrounding it, at least when it comes to upholding human rights, but this time, they’ve proven themselves to be just as intolerant as they were 200 years ago.
After the beheading of Paris school teacher Samuel Paty by an Islamic terrorist, Macron swore he’d fight for freedom in his country. Yet, he failed to mention freedom of speech doesn’t imply he’s also fair game and one middle-aged French woman learned that firsthand.
Archaic French law results in $13k fine for anti-Macron protester
As it turns out, calling Macron “filth” is a punishable offense. Valerie had been fined $13k for merely writing a Facebook post including the derogative name of the French president.
FRANCE – Woman prosecuted for insulting Macron! She called him “filth” on Facebook.
There will be no dissent in this dictatorship. No free speech, thought or action that deviates from the accepted narrative 🤡 pic.twitter.com/2Paxxi3Gia
— Bernie's Tweets (@BernieSpofforth) March 29, 2023
She announced that he’d be addressing the nation at 1 pm that day; apart from the name-calling, that was all she said.
However, she would later find out her actions have disproportionate consequences. She’d just invoked the court’s ability to uphold a 200-year-old law regarding insults directed at the president.
The post in question was put on Valerie’s wall right before an event where Macron was supposed to give more info on his updates to the French pension plan, one of which was raising the retirement age to 64 from the previous 62 years old.
He claimed the French people should choose to make sacrifices for their country on their own, all while his $10k+ luxury watch was on full display for everyone to admire.
It’s hard to feel motivated when the man telling you to sacrifice yourself has more wealth than you could possibly imagine and he’ll go to great lengths to keep it.
The CCP has arrested a woman for "insulting" President Xi Jinping on the Chinese social media site Weibo. She'll have to stand trial for calling Xi "filth" and will receive a massive fine if convicted.
Just kidding it's not China, Xi and Weibo, it's France, Macron and Facebook.
— Caitlin Johnstone (@caitoz) April 3, 2023
Fined for speaking your mind
Valerie was also part of the iconic Yellow Vest protests that happened in the country, shedding criticism on the nation’s president, which showed exactly how disliked Macron actually is.
10 days later, the protesters took to the streets of Paris, denouncing both Macron and the changes he’d suggested for the country’s current pension plan.
However, Valerie wasn’t allowed to be part of the crowd. She’d been arrested only four days earlier on account of insulting the president over social media; the town’s prosecutor sentenced her to pay a $13k fine if she’s convicted on June 20th.
It’s clear the French elite are using Valerie as a display of power and she’ll probably be turned into an example for the rest. While Macron’s conservative values are to be praised, his stance on free speech is about as un-American as can be.
No joke. In an unprecedented case, a woman from northern France is set to face trial for allegedly insulting President Emmanuel Macron on social media.
The incident occurred when the woman referred to Macron as “filth” in a Facebook post. If found guilty, she could be slapped… pic.twitter.com/h1xGDLb2fZ
— Mats Nilsson (@mazzenilsson) April 3, 2023
The US does have an extradition treaty with France, but you should know you’re safe from prosecution even if you do choose to call him filth yourself.
This article appeared in The Record Daily and has been published here with permission.
