Gabriel Matzneff in 2015 – ANDERSEN ULF / SIPA
- Author of several books in which he recounts his “loves” with young adolescents, Gabriel Matzneff has been the target of sharp criticism since the release of Vanessa Springora’s work, “Consent”.
- In this book published on January 2, 2020, Vanessa Springora narrates the “hold” he had over her, when she was 14 and he, 50.
- The association L’Ange Bleu, which fights against pedophilia, had decided to summon him to appear for having defended pedophilia. But his request has just been rejected.
For Latifa Bennari, the president of The Blue Angel, “Every book by Gabriel Matzneff is a confession! “But, according to our information, the controversial writer will not be tried for having done
the apology for pedocriminality. The 17th chamber of the Paris judicial tribunal estimated, this Friday at noon, that the summons to appear issued by the association to the writer was “null”, indicated Emmanuel Pierrat, the writer’s lawyer, to 20 minutes. And that consequently, there was no need to summon him to the bar to discuss the substance as planned on September 28th.
Then in full turmoil, Gabriel Matzneff was the subject, in January 2020, of a direct summons to appear issued by this association which fights against pedocriminality. This procedure allows a victim to directly summon the person suspected of the facts before a court, without a preliminary investigation being carried out. It is then up to the victim to collect the evidence of guilt.
“A manual for pedophiles”
“The books of Gabriel Matzneff and in particular the one entitled Under 16s are a manual for pedophiles, justified, at the time, Latifa Bennari, president of L’Ange Bleu. I have met so many pedophiles who have felt legitimized by the works of Matzneff or those of Tony Duvert [un autre écrivain décrié, mort en 2008] that I wanted to go to court. “
Strongly criticized during the publication of Consent in which Vanessa Springora recounts the hold he had on her, when she was only 14 years old, Gabriel Matzneff retaliated by writing a book entitled Vanessavirus and in which he tells the daily life of a man ostracized from society and thanks his unwavering support. Rejected by all publishing houses, this book was however only available for purchase through a subscription from its author.
A simple procedural error that led to the rejection of the citation
According to our information, L’Ange Bleu’s citation was rejected for a simple procedural error. Domiciled in the Parisian suburbs with a lawyer registered with the Rouen (Seine-Maritime) bar, the association could not have the writer cited before the Paris court, as it wished. Contacted, his lawyer was not immediately available to comment on this decision.
For his part, Emmanuel Pierrat, responsible for defending the interests of the writer, expressed his satisfaction. “I am happy that the rule of law trumps the court of tweets and morals,” he responded.