A 77-year-old man has been sentenced to reeducation by a French court after reportedly disrespecting the country’s president, Emmanuel Macron.
The unnamed elder was convicted by the court of showing contempt for French leader Emmanuel Macron in Eure, France.
Unlike many other Western nations, it is an offence in France to show “contempt for public officials“, with those who fall foul of the law facing the possibility of spending up to one year behind bars and a hefty fine of over $15,000.
According to a report by news portal Actu.fr, the 77-year-old was found to have fallen foul of this law by the court by hanging a banner outside his house calling out the French head of state.
“Macron, we’ll piss you off…” the banner reportedly read, possibly a reference to a vow made by the President himself last year when the French President vowed to “piss off” unvaccinated members of the French public with COVID passports.
Police were hesitant to act against the man however due to his age, with the mayor of his village, Michel Thouin, describing him as being “an ordinary man” who had previously served as a municipal councillor.
The court sentenced the man to be reeducated by attending a citizenship course, rather than impose any financial penalty or jail time.
The banner meanwhile has reportedly been seized and destroyed by police.