He insulted and called a journalist a "mangy dog": what to remember from the trial of the former mayor of Toulon, Hubert Falco

Former Toulon mayor Hubert Falco, dismissed by the courts, was tried in his absence on Friday for insulting and calling a journalist working for Mediapart a "mangy dog." The Toulon Criminal Court will deliver its decision on May 23.

A few days later, on May 28, another crucial legal deadline awaits the former Var political baron, who is challenging before the Court of Cassation the immediate ineligibility sentence imposed on him in 2023 in a case of embezzlement of public funds. His political future depends on this decision, with less than a year to go before the municipal elections.

Hubert Falco absent from the trial

In today's report, Hubert Falco, who did not make the trip - and this is "a great shame," the president emphasized - is accused by a journalist of having insulted her, with recordings to support his claim.

"I am a freelance journalist " and as such "vulnerable," explained Simon Fontvieille, a 34-year-old journalist, referring to what he believes to be repeated attempts at "intimidation" by Hubert Falco, to whom he has devoted several investigations.

Thus, in April 2023, at the time of his first conviction in Marseille, for receiving stolen public funds, the elected official shouted at him, in front of other journalists: "Get out of here, you bastard!"

The events judged on Friday occurred a few months later, in August 2023, on the sidelines of a public ceremony celebrating the 79th anniversary of the liberation of Toulon.

Hubert Falco, who no longer had a mandate, was present and the journalist took a photo of him, as well as other personalities. The former elected official, now 78 years old, then asked him: "Does it bother you that I'm here?" , calling him a "kind of dog", a "mangy dog".

"Finally, Mr. Falco , you mangy dog, why are you so rude?" the journalist replied.

Hubert Falco then called him a "jerk" , adding: "Yes, I'm telling you! Write to Mediapart that I told you you were a jerk."

As the case was initiated by a complaint with civil action, the prosecutor did not file a request, leaving it to the court's decision.

"He's not the same man anymore, it won't happen again," promises Falco's lawyer.

"It's a case of unpleasant public insults," with "remarks that are regretted," according to Hubert Falco's lawyer, Thierry Fradet: "He is no longer elected, has nothing left," he is "no longer the same man and it will not happen again."

"Why is he angry with him? The answer is in his articles (...) and it's tragic," said the journalist's lawyer, Olivia Levy, of the Parisian firm Seattle Avocats, which is defending Médiapart.

And for her, it's a " David versus Goliath" trial, as evidenced by the great difficulty her firm had in finding a lawyer willing to act as a local liaison. "Unheard of," according to the lawyer, who has requested, among other things, 10,000 euros in damages for her client.

The National Union of Journalists (SNJ), which also filed a civil suit, demanded €5,000 from him. The SNJ-CGT and CFDT-Journalistes had expressed their support for the journalist, emphasizing in a statement his "courage" in filing the complaint.