#MacronOrdure trending in France after woman arrested for 'insulting' Macron
The hashtag #MacronOrdure (#MacronGarbage) has become viral on social networks across France following the police arrest of a woman who has been referred to by her first name Valerie.
Valerie, 50, was confronted by 3 police officers last Friday at her home and taken into custody for alleged insults on social media to French President Emmanuel Macron.
Valerie had posted a picture of graffiti on Facebook which read, "Macron Ordure" (Macron Garbage in French), according to Local media.
The graffiti was outside a waste disposal depot in the nearby city of Arques in northern France, and she had simply “been photographed in front of it, smiling,” according to the regional French newspaper La Voix du Nord.
She then referred to Macron as "garbage" in another Facebook post dated March 21, 2023.
“The garbage will speak tomorrow at 1 pm, for people who are nothing, it's always on television that we see this garbage,” she wrote, making reference to an upcoming television interview with Macron about his proposed pension reforms.
Three days later, she was arrested by police after the state's local administrative office filed a complaint against her over the Facebook posts, in particular, the one made on March 21, the day before Macron’s lunchtime interview on TF1 television.
In her defense, the French senior citizen said that she had not made any direct reference to Macron's name. "I don't even mention him."
She is currently accused of "insulting the president of the republic" and will stand trial on June 20.
If convicted in court, the Yellow Vest activist faces up to six months in prison and a fine of up to 22,500 euros.
The French government has been using an iron fist to crack down on those calling for Macron's ouster.
Earlier this month, garbage had piled up in French streets and fuel deliveries were blocked from refineries as workers continued their anti-reforms strikes.
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