The essential: the Montpellier-based association les Tricoteuses hystériques filed a complaint in December 2025 against Brigitte Macron for public insult, after the First Lady referred to feminist activists from #NousToutes as “dirty bitches.” For this complaint to be reviewed by an investigating judge, the collective — which calls itself the “343 insulted” — must pay a deposit of €8,550. Unable to raise this amount, the association denounces an attempt at judicial intimidation and has launched a crowdfunding campaign to finance the procedure.
Can one afford to defend oneself in court when one doesn’t have the means? This is the question posed by the Montpellier feminist activists of the Tricoteuses hystériques, faced with a financial barrier at the heart of a case that far exceeds their own collective. Their complaint against Brigitte Macron for public insult is at the center of a judicial standoff that raises fundamental questions about women’s access to justice and the risk of gagging procedures.
- The origin of the case: the viral video and the “dirty bitches”
- The complaint for public insult: who are the “343 insulted”?
- The deposit of €8,550: is justice for sale?
- What the activists denounce: a gagging procedure
- The crowdfunding and the next steps of the procedure
- A symbol of the obstacles women face in the justice system
The origin of the case: the viral video and the “dirty bitches”
It all began at the end of 2025, with the dissemination of a video that quickly went viral on social media. In it, Brigitte Macron refers to feminist activists from the #NousToutes movement as “dirty bitches” while they were protesting against a show by comedian Ary Abittan.
The context: Ary Abittan and the dismissal that does not end the debate
Ary Abittan received a dismissal in a case of rape accusation. But for the #NousToutes activists and the Tricoteuses hystériques, a dismissal does not mean established innocence — it means that the evidence gathered was not sufficient to bring the case to trial. Their presence outside the performance venue aimed to publicly express this disagreement and remind the voices of the presumed victims.
It is in this tense context that Brigitte Macron, filmed without her knowledge or not, made those comments against the protesters. For the activists, this insult hurled by the First Lady of France, implicitly supporting a man accused of rape, constitutes much more than a verbal slip.
The complaint for public insult: who are the “343 insulted”?
In December 2025, the Montpellier-based association, les Tricoteuses hystériques, filed a complaint against Brigitte Macron for public insult. The collective of plaintiffs calls itself the “343 insulted” — a direct reference to the famous “Manifesto of the 343” from 1971, signed by women claiming their right to abortion.
The legal qualification retained
For the plaintiffs, Brigitte Macron’s remarks do not fall under a simple private opinion. Filmed and widely distributed, the sequence constitutes, according to them, “a public insult targeting women engaged against sexual violence.” Public insult, within the meaning of the 1881 Press Freedom Law, is an outrageous, contemptuous, or invective expression that does not imply the accusation of a specific fact directed at a person or group.
For the justice system to examine our complaint, we must pay. The greatest inequality lies here.
— Vigdis Morisse Herrera, president of the Tricoteuses hystériques
The deposit of €8,550: is justice for sale?
To avoid the automatic dismissal of a simple complaint, the activists chose to file their complaint with civil party constitution. This procedure allows one to directly involve an investigating judge and prevents the Public Prosecutor from dismissing the case without examination. But it comes at a cost.
How the deposit works
When a complaint is filed with civil party constitution, the investigating judge sets an amount for the deposit — a sum of money that the plaintiffs must pay to cover potential procedural costs. This mechanism is intended to prevent abusive complaints. In the case of the “343 insulted,” this amount has been set at €8,550.
For a militant association like les Tricoteuses hystériques, this sum is out of reach. It represents a concrete and immediate obstacle to accessing the investigating judge — that is, to the simple possibility of having their complaint examined.
- Without deposit paid: the complaint with civil party constitution cannot be examined by the investigating judge
- Amount set: €8,550 for the entire procedure
- Consequence: without this amount, the case risks being dismissed without follow-up
What the activists denounce: a gagging procedure
The “343 insulted” do not see this deposit as merely a technical mechanism. They see it as a gagging procedure — that is, a twisted means of preventing financially limited litigants from exercising their rights.
What is a gagging procedure?
A gagging procedure (or SLAPP — Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) refers to any legal action used not to obtain justice, but to deter, financially exhaust, or silence those who speak out on matters of public interest. In this case, it is not Brigitte Macron who is attacking — but the activists believe that the judicial mechanics produce the same effect: forcing them into silence due to lack of means.
For Vigdis Morisse Herrera, president of the association, the systemic dimension is at the heart of the problem: “All these murders of women that we denounce, there is inaction from the justice system that allowed them to die.” The deposit of €8,550 thus becomes, in their interpretation, the symbol of a justice system inaccessible to women who denounce violence.
The crowdfunding and the next steps of the procedure
Faced with the impossibility of raising this amount on their own, the Tricoteuses hystériques have launched an online crowdfunding to finance the deposit and allow the examination of their complaint by the investigating judge. The stated dual objective is to gather the necessary funds and make the situation public to raise awareness of the financial obstacles to justice.
What the crowdfunding reveals
Beyond financing the procedure, the crowdfunding is a militant act. It allows transforming a judicial obstacle into a public platform on women’s access to justice and on the handling of complaints of insult or violence. It also concretely documents the real cost of a legal procedure for an association without significant resources.
A symbol of the obstacles women face in the justice system
The case of the “343 insulted” fits into a broader context, documented by the official figures from the French government. These data paint a troubling picture of victims’ access to justice.
Figures that raise concerns
- Only 7% of victims report having filed a complaint
- More than 7 out of 10 accused are subject to dismissal without follow-up
- Judicial procedures described as long, exhausting, and uncertain
- Financial barriers that compound already considerable psychological and social barriers
For the Tricoteuses hystériques, their case concretely illustrates how access to justice can be conditioned by financial capacity — transforming a theoretical right into a practical privilege. It is not just their complaint that is at stake, but the question of whether resource-limited activists can have their rights examined on equal footing with any other litigant.
Having to gather several thousand euros for our complaint to simply be examined concretely illustrates this risk of judicial intimidation.
— Statement from the “343 insulted”
FAQ
Why did the Tricoteuses hystériques file a complaint against Brigitte Macron?
The Montpellier-based feminist association filed a complaint for public insult after the release of a video in which Brigitte Macron refers to feminist activists as “dirty bitches.” These activists were protesting against a show by comedian Ary Abittan, who has been accused of rape and received a dismissal.
What is a deposit in court?
A deposit is a sum of money that plaintiffs must pay when filing a complaint with civil party constitution. It is intended to cover potential procedural costs and to prevent abusive complaints. Without this payment, the investigating judge cannot examine the complaint. In this case, the amount was set at €8,550.
What is a gagging procedure?
A gagging procedure refers to a legal action used to deter or silence individuals who speak out on matters of public interest, by financially exhausting them. The activists believe that the high deposit produces this effect, even if it is not a direct attack from the opposing party.
What is public insult?
Public insult is defined by the 1881 Press Freedom Law. It refers to any outrageous or contemptuous expression publicly addressed to a person or group, without implying a specific fact.
Who are the “343 insulted”?
This name is a reference to the “Manifesto of the 343” signed in 1971 by women claiming their right to abortion. The “343 insulted” are the activists and members of the Tricoteuses hystériques who co-signed the complaint against Brigitte Macron for public insult.
Has Brigitte Macron responded to the complaint?
At this stage of the process, no public response from Brigitte Macron or her legal representatives has been communicated regarding this specific complaint. The procedure is still at the stage of civil party constitution, conditional on the payment of the deposit by the plaintiffs.
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