A French woman is facing trial for a Facebook post she made where she called President Emmanuel Macron “filth.”
The arrest comes amid mass protests in his France over Macron’s executive order that mandates the country’s retirement age rise by two years from 62 to 64.
Last week, she wrote on Facebook about an upcoming announcement from Macron.
“This piece of filth is going to address you at 1:00 pm… it’s always on television that we see this filth,” she said, as reported by France24.
The woman faces a potential fine of up to 12,000 euros ($17,345 CAD) but cannot be sent to jail.
Insulting the president of the republic is actually a crime in France.
The woman was reportedly shocked when police came knocking on her door.
“I asked them if it was a joke, I had never been arrested,” she said.
“I am not public enemy number one,” she added.
“They want to make an example of me.”
The woman is in her 50’s and was also part of the yellow-vest protests against Macron in 2018-2019.
Macron has told citizens that his executive order that raised the retirement age is necessary to prevent France’s pension budget from running a deficit.
Since mid-January, millions of protesters, including teachers, garbage collectors, and oil refinery workers, have demonstrated in more than two hundred cities in France in protest against the mandate.
The police have cracked down hard on protesters, and on Monday a Human Rights Watch group denounced Macron for several videos that show police using indiscriminate, excessive force against seemingly peaceful protesters.
Last year, Macron called for a “single world order” in place of the power struggle between the US and China.
View live updates of the protests in France at Signal From Paris: The Macron Riots – The Counter Signal
