Seven people sentenced to suspended fines and prison terms

The Paris Correctional Court inflicted, Monday, May 5, suspended fine and prison sentences against seven people prosecuted for sending hate messages to Thomas Jolly, the prime contractor for the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. These seven people, only one of whom was present at the hearing, will also have to pay a euro of damages Jolly.

The court has inflicted fines of 2,000 to 3,000 euros with a stay of three of the defendants and prison terms of two to four months suspended from the other four. The seven defendants, six men and a woman aged 22 to 79, will have to carry out a five -day citizenship internship, also decided the court, which ordered the suspension for six months of accounts of two of the defendants.

17^e Chamber of the Paris Criminal Court has reclassified the facts alleged against the defendants, ultimately retaining only cyberbullying and aggravated insults for the most part of them. She only retained the burden of death threats against a single defendant who was sentenced to a suspended four -month prison sentence.

During the trial, in March, the public prosecutor had requested sentences of three to eight months in prison suspended against the seven defendants. In her requisitions, the magistrate had denounced the feeling of impunity of people who react hot and send messages so easily to give their opinion. “Now, we know that these words can then arm a person”had she pointed out, referring to physical attacks after implications on social networks.

“Banal” profiles

“Degenerate Jew”, « tantouze », “God will not forget you” or “You will pay for having failed to respect our Lord Jesus Christ” had notably posted the defendants, arrested in October 2024 in the Paris region, in Hérault and in the Alpes-Maritimes. Each defense lawyer insisted in his own way during the profile trial « banals » From their customers, far from professional trolls that rampically rampant. French people who allowed themselves to be drawn by the ease of communication offered by the networks.

Thomas Jolly, 43, had filed a complaint on July 31, a few days after the start of the games, saying “Be the target, on social networks, of threats and insults of a homophobic or anti -Semitic nature”. While the creativity of the opening ceremony had been hailed by many spectators, the painting entitled “Festivity” had fueled a controversy last summer in conservative and far -right circles. The painting, representing an attributed group, including several famous drag-Queens, had been interpreted by some as a mocking parody of the last meal of Jesus with his apostles, the Last Supper, as represented by Léonardo da Vinci. Thomas Jolly had denied any desire to shock and explained that he wanted to represent a “Large pagan festival connected to the gods of Olympus”. The hate messages against him had not stopped and had even multiplied.