The Paris Court of Appeal pronounced, Monday, September 13, an exemption from sentence for a couple of “yellow vests” in the case of the theft of forks and a stool at the famous restaurant Le Fouquet’s, during its ransacking in March 2019 on the sidelines of a demonstration on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. The couple had been sentenced at first instance, in December 2019, to one month suspended prison sentence by the Paris court.
The two “yellow vests” will nevertheless have to pay a symbolic euro in damages to Fouquet’s, which had become a civil party. “This decision is extremely satisfactory”, reacted the couple’s lawyer, Arié Alimi.
“We just regret that they had to undergo all that”, he added, stressing “The procedural weaknesses of the case”, almost three years after the fact. The investigators had notably required the geolocation of the phone of the “yellow vest” in order to challenge her, after she posted a photo of the stool in question on social networks.
With the agreement of a security guard from the establishment
On March 16, 2019, this 31-year-old caregiver and this 43-year-old SNCF agent came from Tours to demonstrate in Paris, on the occasion of Act XVIII of the “yellow vests”. The day of mobilization was marked by significant damage and violence on the Champs-Élysées.
During the hearing, in November 2019, the two demonstrators had, however, disputed that it was a theft – of five forks and a pouf, for a total of around 200 euros -, claiming to have recovered them with the agreement of a security guard of the establishment. The prosecution then requested four months suspended prison sentence and seventy hours of community service.
The famous brewery has since reopened its doors on July 14, 2019, after four months of work.
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