INSULTING LE PRESIDENT

In France, it is now possible to insult the President without the risk of going to prison!

Now this news may both surprise and intrigue you – why would I want to insult the president, you may ask – but this news is the result of a long and protracted series of court cases and appeals, culminating in a decision taken by the European Court of Human Rights!

So what’s it all about?

The story (probably) begins in Paris’ annual and very popular Agricultural Fair – the Salon d’Agriculture.

Over the years, visiting this Salon has become an obligation for politicians of all levels and hues, ranging from the President, the Prime Minster and members of his Cabinet, députés, Mayors and local élus... as well as former politicians who are trying to make a come back after being involved in one of those regular political scandals over here! The logic is quite simple; show the people that, underneath the expensive suits and despite the education at one of the elitist “grandes écoles”, the elected person is, in fact, pretty normal – one of us, in short. “You can trust me because I like sheep and cows”, they seem to be saying to us! The very strong farming groups and and agricultural lobbies need to be placated too, since the major (and regular) blockades organized by angry farmers, can contribute to the fall of any careless politician. Indeed, even Marine Le Pen, leader of openly racist party, Le Front National, has started visiting this Salon, hoping, I imagine, that people will forget the violent behaviour of some of her supporters (this includes violence at football matches and at least one incident of throwing people from a bridge to their death in the Seine) and the anti-semitic ranting and “jokes” about gas chambers made by her father.

Former President Jacques Chirac was always a regular visitor to the Salon, and he seemed to be the only high-level politician he was really was comfortable with (and knowledgeable about) farmers and the various breeds of animals on display. He enjoyed meeting people and shaking hands, and he had a reputation for his gigantic appetite for sampling all the food produce on display – ranging from various forms of saucisson to cheese and wine!

So it was hardly surprising that his energetic successor, Nicolas Sarkozy, also went to the Salon...accompanied, of course, by numerous photographers, cameramen and women plus journalists of one sort or another, in order to demonstrate his popular credentials too. But things didn’t go too well in February 2008 when one farmer, by way of making a political protest, refused to shake his hand. Forgetting he was being filmed and recorded, Sarkozy snapped and insulted him. His expression “Casse-toi, pauvre con” has been widely translated into English; but depending on the intonation and the delivery of this message, a closer translation would not be “get lost, you prat” but an expression linked to “off” followed by “w***er, to**er, or stupid ba***rd”.

This lack of presidential etiquette came back to haunt Sarkozy, and this expression was used many times as a chant during marches and demonstrations against him. It also appeared on badges and stickers. Indeed, the day after his defeat in the presidential elections to François Hollande, many people gathered near the official presidential residence, the Elyseé Palace, happily saying, singing or chanting “Casse-toi...”.

In 2008, a man called Hervé Eon was arrested for showing a small sign with this expression on whilst Sarkozy was visiting Laval, western France. He was given a criminal conviction and a fine – albeit a small amount – but many people, especially those in the anti-Sarkozy groups, felt that the state had overreacted and that this was a denial of one’s freedom of speech. On the other hand, Eon was criticised for his “vulgar stunt”.

Nevertheless, in order to avoid other problems with the European Court of Human Rights (never good for a country reputation or business), the offense of insulting the French head of State, never used by Giscard, Mitterand or Chirac and forgotten by many, was repealed.

According to recent opinion polls, François Hollande’s popularity remains very low, hovering around 30% , and unlike David Cameron, he has no royal births or major sporting successes to boost his standing. People in France tend to have long holidays during the summer months and often forget politics and politicians. But when “normal service” is resumed in September, it could well be a little noisy for Monsieur Le Président...

For more details on events mentioned, see

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jul/25/insulting-french-president-criminal-offence