It’s the story of a summer soap opera that ends badly. In 2022, while several investigations highlight the excesses of influencers, rapper Booba in turn launches his crusade against “influvoleurs”. In her sights, the one we call “the popess of influencers”, Magali Berdah, who was for a long time at the head of a specialized agency. The problem is that what initially appears to be a legitimate fight against scams quickly turns into massive cyberharassment, even going as far as death threats. 28 people, suspected of having taken part in these “raids”, will appear in the coming weeks before the Paris judicial court. Trials divided into three stages which correspond to the waves of arrests. The first opens this Monday and is scheduled to last seven days.
For this first trial, thirteen people will take their place in the dock. Twelve men and one woman. “There is clearly very masculine and very “testosterone” behavior,” notes one of Magali Berdah’s lawyers, Me Antonin Gravelin-Rodriguez. In this case, all the defendants are between 20 and 50 years old – mostly in their thirties – and come from all over France. Some are also tried for threats of rape or death. “Let your daughter die”, “If you can’t sleep, kill yourself”, “your time is coming, it’s imminent”, “daughter of satan”, “you deserve to be decapitated and stoned”, reads one among the hundreds of insults received by Magali Berdah. In four cases [parmi les 28 prévenus], adds the aggravating circumstance of anti-Semitism. “It’s a shame Hitler didn’t take care of your grandparents,” wrote one of the defendants, for example.
Victims of cyberbullying, “bad victims”
A few hours before the trial opens, Magali Berdah, 42, is described by her lawyers as “determined and combative”. According to her advice, she waits above all to understand why she was the subject of such smear campaigns and to be recognized “as a victim”. “The challenge is to show that cyberharassment in France is punished and that there is no impunity on the Internet. The objective behind it is obviously that a strong message is sent to cyberstalkers so that these acts of online violence stop,” insists Me Rachel-Flore Pardo who also defends Magali Berdah.
If this is not the first media trial for cyberharassment – there was the Mila affair, Eddy de Pretto or even the streamer Maghla – it is the first time that so many defendants are before the court for the same facts. court. “This trial will highlight the responsibility of each Internet user who takes part in massive hate operations,” hopes Rachel-Flore Pardo. But Antonin Gravelin-Rodriguez is less optimistic. “It will still take a lot of work to change mentalities on this subject. I don’t think this trial alone will turn things around, but it can help.”
Booba’s shadow
If he is not in the dock, Booba’s shadow will certainly hover over the various trials. “We can wonder, wonder if Booba should have been there or not,” explains Me Rachel-Flore Pardo. The fact is that he is not there. In a way, it is also a way of showing the responsibility of each person in a process of mob cyberharassment. Of course, there is the one who initiates, who launches the movement. But without everyone contributing, ultimately there is no snowball effect.” In France, the penalty incurred for cyberharassment is three years in prison and a fine of 45,000 euros.