In one of the greatest cyberbullying cases in the history of France, twenty-eight persons were sentenced to prison by the Paris court. They were involved in a rapper’s online harassment campaign against the country’s “queen of influencers”.
The court found the accused guilty of harassing Magali Berdah after being spurred on by social media posts made by French rapper Booba in December 2021.
Death threats, anti-Semitic remarks and other hateful and insulting messages were part of the harassment.
As per reports, the perpetrators, aged 20 to 49, were sentenced to four to 18 months in prison, half of which was suspended.
The accused were also fined between €300 and €700, ordered to attend citizenship classes, and forbidden from contacting the victim for two years.
Reports said that the defendants must jointly pay Berdah €54,000 for moral damages.
Berdah has established a successful career in France as a lifestyle and fashion expert, as well as marketing other social media stars through her company, Shauna Events.
Judges heard that Booba, whose actual name is Élie Yaffa, incited the hate campaign by launching a battle massive against Berdah.
He launched a campaign against influ-voleurs (influ-thieves), a term he coined, focusing his ire on Ms Berdah in 2022.
The court found that each of them “knew about the cyberbullying suffered by the victim and made a conscious choice to join in with it” and their actions had “real consequences” on Berdah’s mental health.
The plaintiff had told the court that she had come “within a whisker of throwing (herself) out the window”.
She told the reporters on Tuesday, “Finally, I’ve been recognised as a victim.” She said, “My life was destroyed for two years because of this. It’s a beautiful victory.”
(With inputs from agencies)
