Norman Thavaud comes out of two years of silence to sweep away “false accusations” – Libération

Sexual violencefileTen months after the investigation into rape and corruption of minors against him was closed, the videographer denounces the “injustice” he allegedly suffered and says he is prepared to take legal action for defamation in the future.

Norman (re)makes a video. Full name Norman Thavaud, the YouTuber with 11 million subscribers spoke on Sunday, August 11, in a video posted on the social network that he had invested in since 2011. Sixteen minutes to denounce what he considers to be an “injustice”. Libération revealed in December 2022 his placement in police custody for rape and corruption of minors, by publishing the testimonies of eight young women. The preliminary investigation was closed without further action in October 2023, for “insufficiently characterized” offenses. Seven young women had been heard. “I am no longer presumed innocent. I am innocent,” insists the videographer, detailing the “cataclysmic” repercussions of these “false” accusations on his family and his career. “I tell you, I considered the worst,” he says.

A dismissal does not mean that the facts did not take place, that the accused is innocent, but that, due to lack of evidence, the prosecutor decides not to prosecute. The case is therefore not handled in court. Generally speaking, between 2012 and 2021, 86% of complaints for sexual violence were dismissed, according to a note from the Institute of Public Policy, published in early April. This rate even reaches 94% for rapes, a figure that is constantly increasing since it was 82% in 2012. In 57% of cases, the dismissal is justified by “insufficiently characterized” offenses.

“Flaws in the judicial system”

As early as August 2018, Norman Thavaud’s name emerged on social media after a tweet from Squeezie – real name Lucas Hauchard – denouncing the inappropriate behavior of certain videographers, who “take advantage of the psychological vulnerability of young subscribers to obtain sexual relations.” In the wake of the #BalanceTonYoutubeur movement, in 2020, a Quebec fan, Maggie D., publicly accused Norman Thavaud of manipulating her to obtain sexual photos and videos, when she was only 16 years old, and filed a complaint.

When the case was dismissed, she announced on her Instagram account her intention, along with other plaintiffs, to “file a complaint with civil action.” As early as 2021, Maggie D. anticipated with in a survey published by Urbania : “I don’t expect much from the justice system, it wouldn’t be the first time that an attacker was acquitted. I know that there are flaws in the justice system. But I still filed a complaint, on principle. And then I want Norman to finally take responsibility for what he did.”

“Inelegant and immature”

While the young women described a system of psychological control based on the YouTuber’s status as an Internet icon, he acknowledges, in his video published this Sunday, that his “relationship with dating and seduction was surely sometimes inelegant and immature.” He continues: “I have undoubtedly sometimes shown boorishness, I have also undoubtedly sometimes hurt people, unintentionally, and that, I sincerely regret. If my relationship with seduction was absolutely irreproachable, of course, there would have been none of this.”

In reference to the #MeToo movement, he also comments: “Freeing up victims’ voices is essential, but for this movement to be sustainable, we must be able to differentiate between true accusations and false accusations. Not acknowledging this takes away from the credibility of women’s words.” The videographer assures that, from now on, he will “systematically take legal action” when “someone [le] “will defame”. A very common legal maneuver. Since the Denis Baupin affair in 2016, gag orders have multiplied against people reporting sexist and sexual violence.