Lawyer Fined for Offensive Tweet About French MP & Vendée Wars

An attorney from northern France was fined this week for online harassment of a French Member of Parliament, Véronique Besse, following a social media post regarding abortion rights. The ruling, delivered by the judicial court of La Roche-sur-Yon on March 16th, concluded a case stemming from a 2024 exchange on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The dispute began after Besse, representing Vendée’s 4th constituency in the National Assembly, published a statement in March 2024 outlining her opposition to enshrining abortion access in the French Constitution. In response, the attorney posted a message stating, “I’m not saying the Wars of the Vendée were a complete success, but the extinction of certain lineages would have been beneficial.”

Besse subsequently filed a complaint, alleging online harassment. During the trial on February 23, 2026, the attorney attempted to qualify his statement, arguing, “I’m not saying Madame Besse shouldn’t have existed, but these ideas shouldn’t exist!” He also characterized social media as “a political battlefield, a boxing ring where politicians are the first instigators,” while acknowledging he did not retract his original statement, only deeming it “not elegant.”

The prosecution argued the attorney’s comments went beyond legitimate political debate. The prosecutor requested a fine of 3,000 euros, suspended, stating the defendant “went too far.” Besse’s lawyer, Maître De Beauregard, argued that the post was an “expression of contempt,” and that referencing the Wars of the Vendée exacerbated the offense. “One does not travel onto social media as one goes to war,” De Beauregard stated.

The court ultimately followed the prosecution’s recommendation, imposing a suspended fine of 3,000 euros. Besse was awarded one euro in symbolic damages.

Véronique Besse was first elected to the National Assembly representing Vendée’s 4th constituency. She also currently serves as the mayor of Les Herbiers, having been first elected to that position in 2014 and re-elected in 2020. Christophe Hogard, the current mayor of Les Herbiers, presented his list of candidates for the upcoming municipal elections on February 6, 2026, but did not include Besse on the list.