{"id":2334,"date":"2026-03-07T16:38:13","date_gmt":"2026-03-07T16:38:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sebastien-auziere.fr\/blog\/?p=2334"},"modified":"2026-03-07T16:39:03","modified_gmt":"2026-03-07T16:39:03","slug":"sales-connes-the-collective-that-filed-a-complaint-against-brigitte-macron-denounces-a-gag-order-and-launches-a-crowdfunding-campaign","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sebastien-auziere.fr\/blog\/en\/sales-connes-the-collective-that-filed-a-complaint-against-brigitte-macron-denounces-a-gag-order-and-launches-a-crowdfunding-campaign\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00ab\u00a0Sales connes\u00a0\u00bb : the collective that filed a complaint against Brigitte Macron denounces a gag order and launches a crowdfunding campaign"},"content":{"rendered":"

The essential: the Montpellier-based association les Tricoteuses hyst\u00e9riques<\/strong> filed a complaint in December 2025 against Brigitte Macron for public insult<\/strong>, after the First Lady referred to feminist activists from #NousToutes as \u00ab\u00a0dirty bitches.\u00a0\u00bb For this complaint to be reviewed by an investigating judge, the collective \u2014 which calls itself the \u00ab\u00a0343 insulted\u00a0\u00bb<\/strong> \u2014 must pay a deposit of \u20ac8,550<\/strong>. Unable to raise this amount, the association denounces an attempt at judicial intimidation and has launched a crowdfunding campaign to finance the procedure.<\/p>\n

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 hyst\u00e9riques, faced with a financial barrier<\/strong> 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<\/strong> and the risk of gagging procedures.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. The origin of the case: the viral video and the \u00ab\u00a0dirty bitches\u00a0\u00bb<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. The complaint for public insult: who are the \u00ab\u00a0343 insulted\u00a0\u00bb?<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. The deposit of \u20ac8,550: is justice for sale?<\/a><\/li>\n
  4. What the activists denounce: a gagging procedure<\/a><\/li>\n
  5. The crowdfunding and the next steps of the procedure<\/a><\/li>\n
  6. A symbol of the obstacles women face in the justice system<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The origin of the case: the viral video and the \u00ab\u00a0dirty bitches\u00a0\u00bb<\/h2>\n

    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<\/strong> from the #NousToutes movement as \u00ab\u00a0dirty bitches\u00a0\u00bb while they were protesting against a show by comedian Ary Abittan.<\/p>\n

    The context: Ary Abittan and the dismissal that does not end the debate<\/h3>\n

    Ary Abittan received a dismissal in a case of rape accusation. But for the #NousToutes activists and the Tricoteuses hyst\u00e9riques, a dismissal does not mean established innocence \u2014 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.<\/p>\n

    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<\/strong>, constitutes much more than a verbal slip.<\/p>\n

    The complaint for public insult: who are the \u00ab\u00a0343 insulted\u00a0\u00bb?<\/h2>\n

    In December 2025, the Montpellier-based association, les Tricoteuses hyst\u00e9riques<\/strong>, filed a complaint against Brigitte Macron for public insult<\/strong>. The collective of plaintiffs calls itself the \u00ab\u00a0343 insulted\u00a0\u00bb \u2014 a direct reference to the famous \u00ab\u00a0Manifesto of the 343\u00a0\u00bb from 1971, signed by women claiming their right to abortion.<\/p>\n

    The legal qualification retained<\/h3>\n

    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, \u00ab\u00a0a public insult targeting women engaged against sexual violence.\u00a0\u00bb<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n

    For the justice system to examine our complaint, we must pay. The greatest inequality lies here.
    \n
    \u2014 Vigdis Morisse Herrera, president of the Tricoteuses hyst\u00e9riques<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    The deposit of \u20ac8,550: is justice for sale?<\/h2>\n

    To avoid the automatic dismissal of a simple complaint, the activists chose to file their complaint with civil party constitution<\/strong>. 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.<\/p>\n

    How the deposit works<\/h3>\n

    When a complaint is filed with civil party constitution, the investigating judge sets an amount for the deposit<\/strong> \u2014 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 \u00ab\u00a0343 insulted,\u00a0\u00bb this amount has been set at \u20ac8,550<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    For a militant association like les Tricoteuses hyst\u00e9riques, this sum is out of reach. It represents a concrete and immediate obstacle<\/strong> to accessing the investigating judge \u2014 that is, to the simple possibility of having their complaint examined.<\/p>\n