four men were sentenced to up to ten months in prison

The defendants who were present at the trial all admitted to having sent the message, but it was not threatening or harassing. Only one of them was sentenced to prison, for “very serious acts” according to the court chairman.

Hateful messages also flooded the artist after the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, on July 26 2024. Four men were sentenced by a criminal court, Friday, November 21, to sentences ranging from four months in prison suspended to ten months for cyber-harassing French DJ Barbara Butch after her participation in the opening ceremony.

On the Debilly footbridge spanning the Seine, Barbara Butch, a stage name, appears on deck, surrounded by drag queens, model and singer Philippe Katerine, almost naked and painted blue. This table is titled “Celebration” has raised the ire of conservatives and the right wing, who interpreted it as a parody Last Supper da Vinci. The ceremony’s artistic director, Thomas Jolly, denied any desire to shock and explained that he wanted to represent a “a great pagan festival associated with the gods of Olympus”nod “Olympism”.

Openly lesbian musician, feminist activist Barbara Butch said at a Sept. 25 hearing that she had “only want (S)‘bury and disappear’ in the era of cyberbullying. He explained that he suffered from agoraphobia and psoriasis following the incident and had since taken antidepressants. Her partner testified before the court about the rape threats she also received. Barbara Butch’s lawyer, Audrey Msellati, was adamant about the consequences for the health of her client, who suffered from insomnia and nightmares for months, gained 30 kilograms and no longer dared leave her home.

All four defendants were convicted of online harassment and threats of violence, sentences imposed generally in line with prosecutors’ requirements. The Paris criminal court, however, acquitted the fifth man, and found that the elements constituting the offense were absent in his case.

Students, fathers, caregivers… The defendants present all admitted to having sent the messages, but they were not threatening or harassing. Several people explained that they were affected “religious parody”. Only one of those who did not appear at the trial was sentenced to prison, “not convertible”said the chairman of the court when reading the verdict, with a highlight “very serious action”.

It’s about “massive digital violence that is easier to commit than to dematerialize”the judge further emphasized. Other artists involved in the Olympic opening ceremony have experienced cyber harassment, including Thomas Jolly. Seven people were convicted in May for sending him hate messages.