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Syriel

Banned
Dec 13, 2017
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Sandra Muller, who created the "#balancetonporc" ("rat on your pig") hashtag in 2017, has been ordered to pay damages to ex-TV boss Eric Brion.

The court awarded Mr Brion, who was accused of flirting with Ms Muller inappropriately, €20,000 ($22,500, £17,000) in damages and fees.

During a hearing in May, Mr Brion's legal team said that while he had apologised for his clumsy or inappropriate flirtation, he had "never admitted to harassing anyone".

"He said that one evening he tried to flirt with Sandra Muller as he liked her," his lawyer Marie Burguburu told the court. "This is his right to flirt," she added.

She defended her right to freedom of expression and said her tweets were aimed at encouraging others to share their experiences, adding that sexist insults needed to be taken seriously.

In October 2017, Ms Muller tweeted: "#balancetonporc! You too can recount by giving the name and details of a sexual harassment you have known in your job."

Just a few hours later, she followed up with: "You have big breasts. You are my type of woman. I will make you orgasm all night" along with Mr Brion's name and position.

But Mr Brion said he had never worked with Ms Muller in any capacity; that he had apologised for his words, and not pursued it after he was rejected.

He said he made his "inappropriate remarks" at a cocktail party late in the evening, "but only once" - and said he was not trying to excuse his actions. He also said there was a need for "truth and nuance" amid the wave of accusations.

He added that Ms Muller had implied the two had some sort of working relationship in which harassment took place.

Mr Szpiner, Ms Muller's lawyer, told the court in May: "If you do not feel that when a man stands in front of you and makes you such a proposal, it's offensive, I'm sorry for you, but today a majority of women and men think it is."

"If this hashtag has been successful it's because thousands of women have recognized themselves [in it]," he added, in remarks reported by France's 20 Minutes programme.

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