The "happy slapping", which defines the fact of filming and broadcasting a scene of violence on the internet, is becoming popular in France. But behind this perky name of "joyous slaps" hide acts with serious consequences.
What is "happy slapping"? A viral "fashion", which appears in various legal cases linking social networks, video and assault. According to the Ministry of the Interior, this form of violence which uses digital technology to spread is on the increase in France. But what are we talking about exactly? The "happy slapping" (which can be translated in French "video aggression", but which literally means "to slap joyfully") "consists of filming, using a cell phone, a scene of violence suffered by a person in order to distribute the video on the internet and social networks", define Éditions Dalloz. The format of this public humiliation, filmed without the knowledge of the victims, is usually very short (less than a minute) and viral. In the news, and more precisely, in September 2020, the images of the assault of a 14-year-old teenage girl in front of her college in Reims, had shocked Internet users by circulating on social networks. The alleged perpetrator of this lynching had been taken into police custody.
If it surprises, this phenomenon is not new. Already in 2012, Thierry Janssen and Alexandre Drouet staged a play on the theme of "happy slapping", where the teenager films a "free" assault intended for social networks. And in her testimonial book, "My son, victim of happy slapping", published in 2015, the author Angèle Martin denounced a common practice in certain schools.
Where does the "fashion" for "happy slapping" come from?
This "happy slapping" fashion developed at the end of the 2000s and proliferated with the generalization of smartphones, as well as the appearance of social networks in our society. But it was not until 2007 that this practice was sanctioned as a "act of complicity in willful attacks on the integrity of the person", in the Penal Code in France. From a simple slap, the "happy slapping" can degenerate into a lynching. According to the e-Enfance association, "This violence of varying intensity is experienced as real trauma. 90% of happy slapping affects young people between the ages of 11 and 17, both girls (45%) and boys (55%)."
In May 2019, two teenage girls aged 16 and 17 had beaten another young girl, before posting the video on Snapchat. "It's so humiliating for the one on the ground, had told BFMTV, in 2019, the mother of Romain, 11, victim of this "fashion" seven earlier. He can't do anything. He is alone and there are ten or fifteen opposite. " Today she remembers "repeated nightmares" of his son, of "school phobia" and then the "knife sticking in his stomach during dinner", in a desperate gesture.
How to stop cyberstalking that is "happy slapping"? Raising young people's awareness of this scourge and digital education seem to be the best remedies. As well as the reminder of the gravity of the facts, which are now clearly punished by justice.
What do authors risk with "happy slapping"?
The "happy slapping" is sanctioned by justice. Different penalties may be incurred, depending on the damage suffered by the victim.
• If no injury is noted: 750 euros fine.
• If there is a total incapacity for work for a period equal to or less than 8 days: a fine of 1500 euros and 3000 euros in the event of a repeat offense.
• If there is a total incapacity for work for more than 8 days: 3 imprisonment and a 45,000 euro fine.
• If there is mutilation or permanent disability: 10 years in prison and a fine of 150,000 euros.
• If there is death by manslaughter: 15 years' imprisonment and other additional penalties.
• If there is murder: 30 years' imprisonment and other additional penalties.
And the initiative to film is just as reprehensible as being the protagonist of the violence. As the broadcaster of the video, the penalty is 5 years' imprisonment and a fine of 75,000 euros.
What to do in the event of a "happy slapping"?
– Witness of a filmed attack or spectator.ice of a video of "happy slapping", imperatively speak about what you saw to an adult and go to the PHAROS reporting platform: www.internet-signalalement .gouv.fr
– In an emergency, dial 17 or 112.