“Hooligan”, “shit-eater”, “asshole”… Here are some of the comments that qualified Frédéric Laporte, president of the community of Montluçon (Allier), Philippe Glomot, mayor of Villebret, and Jean-Pierre Maury, municipal councilor in charge of the digital, during the month of September, on a public page of the social network Facebook.
“At some point, you have to say stop”
“The press has reminded us again in recent days that there are enough problems with attacks on elected officials – verbal and physical – so we have now decided to take legal action against the perpetrators of this type of insult or defamation,” Frédéric Laporte explained. , Monday 28 November, during the city council.
“At some point, you have to say ‘enough,'” added Jean-Pierre Maury. It’s amazing to say these things. There, he really hit the mark. “Insulting the people behind their screen is quite easy,” continued Philippe Glomot.
Incivility and attacks on elected officials explode in 2022
The granting of functional protection
Faced with the complaint they intend to file for “public insult to a citizen entrusted with a public mandate”, the three elected officials have asked for the granting of functional protection. Clearly, that their legal fees are borne by the community within the limit of a maximum amount of legal fees of 4,000 euros. Elected officials granted them by majority vote.
Three votes against
Two, however, abstained and three voted against, including Juliette Werth: “It is inadmissible, agreed the elected (DVG). But sometimes it is the return of excessive communication […]. If only out of respect for Ms Taubira, whose photo was circulated on Facebook by an elected member of this House, next to a monkey with a banana, I will vote against her. Everyone must also be responsible for what he says. »
“A pissed off”
“We may have disagreements, but I’ve never gone down the gutter,” replied Jean-Pierre Maury.
“The insults, the anonymous letters, … we are fed up”, for her part Pascale Lescurat, mayor of Domérat dropped, arousing the applause of the majority of those present.
Michael Nicholas
