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CRIME

Three face trial in France over assault of Brigitte Macron’s great-nephew

Three men are to be tried for allegedly beating up the great-nephew of French 'first lady' Brigitte Macron outside her family's chocolate shop in northern France, with a 16-year-old also facing prosecution.

Three face trial in France over assault of Brigitte Macron's great-nephew
The Jean Trogneux chocolate shop in Amiens, northern France, which is owned by the family of Brigitte Macron. Photo by DENIS CHARLET / AFP

The three adults were presented in court on Wednesday in the city of Amiens on assault charges, but their lawyers requested a delay to proceedings until June 5th, an AFP reporter witnessed.

The teenage suspect is set to go before a special children’s judge over the attack late on Monday by anti-government protesters on Jean-Baptiste Trogneux.

The incident has been widely condemned by French politicians, including President Emmanuel Macron who called it “unacceptable” while pointing the finger at his opponents whose “verbal violence” he suggested had encouraged the assault.

Increasingly fierce clashes during protests against Macron and attacks on the offices of local and national elected figures have sparked fresh debate about the political climate in France.

The country has been rocked by its biggest demonstrations in decades since the start of the year over Macron’s plans to raise the retirement age to 64 from 62.

Hard-left MP François Ruffin, one of the harshest critics of the president, said on Wednesday that Macron was partly to blame for the violence directed at politicians.

“It’s obvious that Emmanuel Macron has a responsibility because we have a social, political and democratic crisis and his only response is via the police,” Ruffin told the France 2 television channel.

The three adult suspects, aged 20-34, have been detained awaiting trial.

They are known to the police for previous assaults and violence, with the youngest living with a mental disability and the eldest living under the control of a legal guardian.

Four other people arrested after the attack have been released by police.

Brigitte Macron’s family have run the Jean Trogneux chocolate shop in the centre of her home city of Amiens for six generations.

Her great-nephew was returning to his apartment above the store when he was recognised by the protesters, who left him with several broken ribs, a head injury and a hand wound, according to his father.

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CRIME

French cinema boss on trial for sexual assault

The head of France's top cinema institution Dominique Boutonnat denied sexually assaulting his godson as he went on trial Friday in a case that has led to calls for him to step down.

French cinema boss on trial for sexual assault

The trial comes as French cinema reels from a renewed #MeToo reckoning that has seen several big names, including acting legend Gerard Depardieu, accused of sexual abuse.

READ ALSO: French actor Gérard Depardieu to be tried for sexual assault in October

Activists have denounced Boutonnat’s continued leadership of the National Centre of Cinema (CNC), whose role includes overseeing measures to curb sexual violence in the industry.

His godson accuses him of trying to masturbate him during a holiday in Greece in 2020 when he was 19.

“I looked at him to find my godfather and that’s when I saw someone completely different… It was someone using me to masturbate,” the godson, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told the court.

Boutonnat responded in court that it was his godson who had initiated the situation and kissed him.

“I feel bad about leaving an ambiguous situation, but to say there was a sexual assault is false,” he told the court.

He was placed under investigation in February 2021 but still reappointed by the government as head of the CNC in July 2022.

Training to prevent abuse has in recent months become obligatory for films seeking public funding via the CNC.

The CNC told AFP that the case against Boutonnat came from “the private sphere” and had no relation to its activities.

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