Louis Boyard has drawn the wrath of several political figures, including the Prime Minister, Elisabeth Borne, but especially those of Valérie Pécresse. Sunday March 5, he published a video on social networks, in which he launched a competition to encourage all schools to be blocked on Tuesday March 7, a new day of mobilization against pension reform. “We are launching the hashtag #BlocusChallenge. Post your best high school and university blockade photos. Among these photos, we will draw one and the team of blockers will be invited to visit the National Assembly with us”he says.
We launch the #BlockChallenge !
Against Macron and his reform, the #7mar block your college or high school
Post the most beautiful photo of your blockade with the hashtag #BlockChallenge
We will raffle one of the photos and we will take the team of blockers to visit the National Assembly pic.twitter.com/ZU0DigheGD
— Louis Boyard (@LouisBoyard) March 5, 2023
The next day, Monday March 6, the president of the Île-de-France region announced in a press release that she would file a complaint against him for “incitement to the offense of obstruction” and “incitement to violence”, judging his statements “unacceptable”, “arsonists” And “irresponsible”. In doing so, she implies that blocking an establishment is a crime and that inciting them to do so too… and she is right.
Blocking a school is illegal, incite to do it too
The blocking of a school can constitute an offense on two counts. On the one hand, it is an offense of obstructing free movement, punishable by a 4th category fine, ie a fine of 750 euros. On the other hand, if teachers cannot go to their place of work, this is also an offense of obstruction of the freedom to work. The penalty incurred is then heavier: up to one year in prison and a fine of 15,000 euros for high school or adult students. Minors will instead receive educational penalties, such as internships or community service.
And incitement to commit these offenses is also a crime. For having launched his competition, Louis Boyard can incur a five-year prison sentence and a 45,000 fine. The fine can even go up to 150,000 euros for inciting minors to commit an offence. Nevertheless, and this is important, an investigation must first be opened and demonstrate that there have indeed been blockages or attempted blockages because the Member asked to do so and that he therefore had an influence on the perpetrators of these offences.
We launch #GAVChallenge !
Post the most beautiful photo of you blocking your college and your high school and thus committing an offense with the hashtag #GAVChallenge
We’ll raffle off one of the photos and take the blockade team to visit our custody cells. https://t.co/BBfbRpe5cU
— Matricule 17 (@Matricule17Ter) March 6, 2023
Louis Boyard’s #BlocusChallenge therefore caused several police officers to react on social networks. “Instead of sensitizing them intelligently to the political thing, you send teenagers to be arrested for your buzz”is indignant Linda Kebbab, of the SGP Police FO union. While the MP promises a visit from the Assembly to the winners of the competition, the Union of National Police Commissionershe promises them that they “will all be able to visit a police station”. The policeman and author Abdoulaye Kante thanked the deputy of “facilitate the task” officials. Another agent, anonymous, renamed the competition the “Custody challenge”.
A poorly enforced law
That said, in cases of blockades of schools, the law is rarely applied and the heads of establishments call the police very little. There is a kind of tolerance for the day. In a column published on the website of the World during the mobilizations against the pension reform in 2020, heads of establishments explained that they preferred to dialogue with the blockers, while calling not to prolong the situation.
A few very widespread examples have however proved that there could be arrests during blockages, when tensions arise, even degradations, clashes and violence. This was the case at Joliot-Curie high school in Nanterre (Hauts-de-Seine) in October 2022 and at Mantes-la-Jolie (Yvelines) in 2018.
Insubordinate France denounces a political “tactic”
The filing of a complaint by Valérie Pécresse has, in turn, caused a lot of reaction. The group of elected officials La France insoumise to the regional council of Île-de-France denounced a media stunt in a press release. According to him, the regional president is “ready to do anything to exist in the media”. He denounces a “obstructing the right to strike”.
In a tweet, Alexis CorbiereLFI deputy for Seine-Saint-Denis, denounced a “tactical” policy “ridiculous” by Valerie Pécresse.