“So this is the return of the Cauet method? “. Under a tweet published by the Zoé Sagan account on October 13, an exchange of serious private messages supposedly sent by the radio host launched the beginnings of the Cauet affair, since accused of rape and sexual assault. The conversation was transmitted by one of the complainants, Julie, to the X account (formerly Twitter). A choice which confuses the media keen to investigate these possible revelations. Is the accusation worth digging into? Zoé Sagan is in fact well known to editorial staff for her multiple revelations that are neither true nor founded, or even defamatory, on the part of this “info fiction” account which claims to be “the first female AI of the 21st century”.
Zoé Sagan was at the beginning of the Griveaux affair in 2020 by previewing the intimate images of the candidate for Paris City Hall – which would ultimately cost him his place in politics. But since then, the account, which did not have that many subscribers at that time, has specialized in defamation campaigns, attacking everything that came to hand: Gabriel Attal, Marlène Schiappa, the Macron or Cyril Hanouna couple. Nothing as juicy as the Griveaux one shot. Enough to suggest that a new “outting” would not harm the credibility of an account that is now less mysterious.
“It’s obvious, everyone has their nose in it”
His identity, long secret, was revealed in an article in Paris Match in January 2022. We now know that behind Zoé Sagan is Aurélien Poirson-Atlan, a man in his late thirties and co-founder of a somewhat conspicuous information site called Apar.tv. After a break from his online life where Zoé Sagan disappeared from Twitter, he returned surrounded by other new members to help him maintain his account. There is in particular the ex-lawyer Yael Mellul who reveals In Marianne “an intellectual love at first sight with Aurélien” and numerous common struggles such as that of “total freedom of expression”. But she wouldn’t be the only one to have joined the saganesque adventure. The most widespread rumor? The discreet participation of lawyer Juan Branco, and persistent rumors about his proximity to the far-right ideologue Alain Soral.
Behind these more or less credible figures, a well-defined modus operandi: throwing out half-truths about the media-political All-Paris in the middle of a trash bin of rubbish. “It’s 90% fake, but 10% true and that’s the problem,” whispers a Parisian communicator. To test, the latter created a few fake accounts on X to give information to Zoé Sagan. “I sent false, false, true, false. Out of four pieces of information, three came out.” Without verification. The trace of a source left in one of the messages has never been contacted.
Zoé Sagan worries as she fascinates. “I think you won’t have any communicator on the Paris market who is not capable of blabbering for hours about Zoé Sagan. It’s obvious, everyone has their nose in it,” says one of our interlocutors. For another, “this account embodies the new face of disinformation and online intimidation” and mixes, according to him, “grotesque rumors, crazy fake news, dangerous conspiracy theories and outrageous personal attacks”. He even describes him as an “arsonist sowing seeds of doubt, cultivating a toxic garden”.
Violent consequences
On his account now followed by 157,000 subscribers, everyone uses it and shows that his influence is not completely fantasized, none of the eight testimonies collected during our investigation wanted to speak in “we”. “It’s off because the consequence of not being off is being thrown out to pasture,” explains one of them. Among all those who tried to approach it through private messages, many, shamelessly posted in public, immediately regretted it. A method of doxing [la divulgation de données personnelles, Ndlr] habitual through “name and shame” which sometimes endangers the professional activity and private life of the person concerned.
Some still have scars from the raids launched by Zoé Sagan. “It was extremely violent and I weigh my words,” recalls one of his scapegoats, prominent in the media. Among its targets, journalists, specialists in disinformation and online radicalism, but also the far right. “Tackling those who fight against disinformation is killing two birds with one stone. This discredits those who could put obstacles in the way of his disinformation machine. But it’s also feeding its base with figures already considered devils.”
From mockery to fear
The policies, particularly targeted, resemble his favorite whippersnappers. Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron are often accused by the account of hiding the existence of “Jean-Michel Trogneux”, a theory according to which the president’s wife was born as a man and changed sex, very popular among the accounts conspiracists. But the presidential couple is not the only one to pay the price. “I really believe that it is the very idea of democracy that is at stake with this type of character,” said a leading advisor, whose “boss” was personally targeted for months.
Marlène Schiappa has long been one of Zoé Sagan’s favorite targets. Now retrained in the private sector since her departure from the government last summer, the former Secretary of State did not follow up, visibly delighted to have left social networks. But for one of his relatives, Zoé Sagan, initially judged innocent, quickly became “radioactive”. “We laughed about it a lot between people who revolve around politics, we often sent each other his tweets for laughs.” It was then that the account began to gain momentum along with new subscribers, and the ironic accusations ended up being taken at face value. “When people started to tell me “it’s hot what Marlène did, I read that about Zoé Sagan”, it started to make me laugh less.”
Cases of cyberharassment
Then came the Hanouna case, last spring. Twitter users who have not yet let go of the platform were able to witness Zoé Sagan’s new crusade against the presenter of Touche pas à mon poste (TPMP). “According to several corroborating sources, Cyril Hanouna is currently trying to block revelations which risk destroying his career,” she threatens in a first tweet published on May 8.
Zoé Sagan’s first tweet was followed by vague accusations about a possible link between Cyril Hanouna and Sébastien Charrette, a former magician who allegedly abused 27 children between 2002 and 2017, according to the poorly verified site Wanted Pedo – a site which said to fight against child crime. Other equally lunar messages will follow, fueled by the public “fight” between the presenter and lawyer Juan Branco. Hey, him again.
Last layer in September, with the revelation of an intimate relationship between tennis player Lola Marandel and Cyril Hanouna, denied by the young woman. “A campaign of cyberharassment” will even be denounced by his lawyer Maître Tom Michel. “Our client intends to ensure strict respect for her private life as well as her image rights and will pursue legal action against any infringement.” Sagan’s immediate response: “You wanted to make an example of me. Let this serve as a lesson to citizens. May no one ever write about you again. Create fear. Terror. Let silence be the law. To kill my self. But that won’t be the case. Zoé Sagan is an idea. And you can’t kill an idea.”
Several complaints filed
This response is not trivial. Behind Zoé Sagan, there is also her horde of fanzouzes with whom she knows how to play perfectly. “He’s not a stupid person. When it comes to communications strategy, there are very few mistakes. When she retweets messages against her, it’s so that people come to defend her,” whispers a communicator specially responsible for monitoring her account. Even if it means making tons of it. “They will destroy me, help me.” The fine team even goes so far as to create an account of an American Zoé Sagan, protected by “the Chinese from the FBI”, in case they have to leave and escape.
In the comments, there is no shortage of support. Neither in the private messages of his victims. The latter, in most cases, have given up defending themselves. “If you answer them directly, you are doing exactly what they want you to do,” testifies a notorious Turk from the info fiction account. Not only do you feed the machine, but you also comfort them in the position of prosecutor.”
However, on the Parisian scene, Zoé Sagan’s aura is running out of steam. A phenomenon in bookstores for his “revelation” books, the author would have finally alienated the publishing house of his second book Robbery who would have refused to publish the sequel. According to Mariannea chapter soberly named “Sperm” would have upset the publisher Books, which has to date not responded to our requests. Since then, the group has even struggled to find a new publisher.
Justice as the only solution
On the Internet, the fall is a little slower. Too slowly ? “It’s not normal for all this to stay online,” despairs one of his close enemies, whose lawyer claims to have filed a complaint for defamation, cyberharassment and public insults. Another interlocutor explains to 20 minutes having also filed a complaint for harassment, defamation and violation of privacy.
Only one complaint has so far been confirmed by the Nanterre Public Prosecutor’s Office, that of Cauet’s lawyers for online harassment. A reason for accusation that is easier to dismantle than the defamatory nature of his tweets. “Defamation can come under the debate of opinion, harassment and calls to hatred are more embarrassing subjects,” confides one of the comedian’s lawyers. Platforms don’t solve the problem, and X even less so. “ Pseudonymity is very protected on social networks, which for a reason – which is not illegitimate – of freedom of expression does not always respond to judicial requisitions. An element which works in favor of Zoé Sagan.
Requested by 20 minutes, Zoé Sagan first gave us her agreement before declining the interview. His last message: “I have just been informed of your paper. So it’s an order. Don’t get tired, publish what you’ve been asked to do. I would then respond with an interview in the 20sec newspaper. Conspi perhaps, funny, that remains to be proven.