Barbara Butch is launching legal action after her concert at the Cabaret Frappé festival in Grenoble was interrupted. Her lawyer, Audrey Msellati, announced the filing of several complaints in Grenoble and Paris, targeting, among others, La France Insoumise (France Unbowed), certain elected officials and local representatives of the movement, the media outlet Omerta, and Alain Soral. The alleged offenses could fall under several criminal charges: public incitement to hatred and violence, aggravated assault, obstruction of artistic freedom, aggravated cyberharassment, and aggravated defamation and public insults. Not all of these charges necessarily apply to each of the individuals or organizations targeted.
« Debate is a freedom; violence is a crime."This is a legal action," declared Ms. Audrey Msellati when announcing these legal proceedings. The complaint against LFI (La France Insoumise) focuses in particular on possible incitement to hatred and violence in the days leading up to the concert.
The concert was interrupted after about twenty minutes.
On Saturday, July 18, Barbara Butch was performing for free as part of the Cabaret Frappé festival when about a hundred pro-Palestinian activists, including members of the far-left La France Insoumise party, stormed the stage. The performance was interrupted after about 20 minutes. The Grenoble city hall reported that glass bottles and other projectiles were thrown at the stage. It also claims to have evidence of violence and electrical sabotage. The Green Party mayor, Laurence Ruffin, has filed a complaint against persons unknown. Barbara Butch explained that she feared the situation would escalate for the technical crew and the audience. The DJ said she "in a state of shock" and claimed to have felt intense aggression during the action.
A call for a boycott launched by local leaders of La France Insoumise
Before the festival, activists and local officials of La France Insoumise (LFI) had called for Barbara Butch to be removed from the program. Allan Brunon, president of the LFI group on the Grenoble city council, had publicly supported this call for a boycott. Leaflets distributed by LFI activists in the Isère region described the artist as, among other things, a "Support for the perpetrators of genocide"Barbara Butch was attacked for her support of the so-called Yadan Bill, presented as a measure to combat new forms of antisemitism. Her opponents, on the contrary, argued that the bill risked criminalizing certain expressions of support for the Palestinian cause. Allan Brunon defended a "peaceful action aimed at raising awareness"He asserted that Barbara Butch was being targeted for her political views, not for her identity or religion. He also stated that he did not see any projectiles thrown at the artist.
Barbara Butch denounces an attack linked to her Jewish identity.
Barbara Butch refuses to be held responsible for the policies pursued by the Israeli government. “Asking Jews to justify their views on Israeli policy is not normal. I am a French Jew, and I have a responsibility to answer for the policies of the country in which I vote, even if I may have an opinion on this atrocious war.”, she said.
The artist now feels caught between two hostile campaigns. After being the target of threats and insults from the far right following her participation in the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games, she claims to now be attacked by activists linked to La France Insoumise (LFI). "I feel like I'm in a vice.", she confided.
Mathilde Panot acknowledges a "bad" leaflet
The president of the LFI group in the National Assembly, Mathilde Panot, acknowledged that the leaflet distributed in Grenoble was " bad "She condemned the insults and the throwing of projectiles, while asserting that there was no antisemitism within her movement. A few days earlier, however, she had stated that she understood the calls to remove Barbara Butch from the political agenda because of her support for the Yadan bill. She clarified that La France Insoumise (LFI) would never condone insults, the throwing of projectiles, or cyberbullying, if they were confirmed.
An investigation has already been opened by the Grenoble prosecutor's office.
The Grenoble prosecutor's office has opened an investigation for "Offense of concerted obstruction of freedoms"The investigation will have to determine precise responsibility for the interruption of the concert, any violence, projectiles thrown, and the electrical sabotage denounced by the municipality. The courts will also have to examine the messages, leaflets, publications, and calls for a boycott disseminated before and after the concert. Barbara Butch now intends to establish whether this campaign and the action carried out in Grenoble crossed the line of political protest and constituted criminal offenses.
