The story begins with a accident which took place, Saturday December 14, on the national 31, in Compiègne forest. A deer crosses the highway while theFutaie des Amis crew is hunting. This deer is hit by a car, then more violently by a utility vehicle.
The accident occurred around 1:30 p.m. The deer apparently hit the first vehicle while trying, in vain, to jump over it before being hit head-on by a van, whose windshield and front of the vehicle were damaged.
Two photos by Bertrand Giboulet
The AVA association (Abolisons la venerie today) was on site that day. She indicates that the deer went to die 300 meters away. And she films what is happening along the RN31. We see in particular a man, next to the seriously damaged van at the front. He appears to be in the process of writing an insurance report. Then AVA displays in an inset, an image of a man in hunting gear. The unspoken message is that the man who draws up the report is the same as the huntsman.
What follows on the AVA video is a whole series of comments hostile to hunting with hounds. Comments linked to this Facebook post are also opposed to this traditional practice. It’s not surprising. AVA is against hunting.
This is a characteristic of French democracy: hunting with hounds is authorized as is criticism of hunting with hounds. Long live France.
Letter of formal notice
But Bertrand Giboulet is not happy. He believes that the site oisehebdo.fr does not have to publish his photo taken during a traffic accident that occurred on a public road which gave rise to the intervention of the national gendarmerie.
He sends us an email to this effect, written by a lawyer linked to AXA Protection Juridique. Here is this email:
“Mr Vincent GERARD,
“I am intervening with you to represent the interests of my client, Mr. Bertrand GIBOULET, who informed me of the dispute between you.
“On December 15, a video of Mr. GIBOULET was published on the Facebook account of the AVA collective, without his face being blurred. In addition, defamatory comments were associated with this video, which was also relayed in the newspaper OISE HEBDO, without any anonymization of its image.
“These publications constitute a serious attack on the private life of Mr. GIBOULET as well as a clear attack on his reputation, having significant repercussions on his professional activity. You will find attached a report drawn up by Maître DORINET, Bailiff.
“I would like to remind you that in accordance with article 9 of the Civil Code, everyone has the right to respect for their private life. The dissemination of his image without his consent constitutes a violation of this right. In addition, article 226-1 of the Penal Code punishes with one year’s imprisonment and a fine of 45,000 euros the act of violating the privacy of another’s private life, in particular by disseminating an image without the consent of the person concerned.
“I therefore ask you to immediately delete this video from your site, under penalty, in order to put an end to this invasion of Mr. GIBOULET’s private life.
“I ask you to consider this request with the greatest urgency, because the current situation is causing considerable harm to the reputation of Mr. GIBOULET.
“Please note that a complaint has already been filed against the authors of the publications and that the file is now in the hands of the Public Prosecutor.
“I invite you to take stock of the seriousness of the situation and act quickly to avoid aggravating tensions.
“I thank you for contacting me directly so that we can discuss this matter as soon as possible.
“I remain at your disposal for any further clarification.
“Sincerely,
“Tugba LESSAULT
Legal Protection Lawyer
tugba.lessault@juridica.”
Bertrand Giboulet soon in court
This letter is interesting because it indicates that the man who is near the van, apparently participating in the drafting of a report, is Bertrand Giboulet. And that the man in the hunter’s outfit, in the inset, is also that of Bertrand Giboulet.
On the AVA side, Stanislas Broniszewski confirms that the man in the hunter’s outfit is indeed Bertrand Giboulet. The photo was taken in January 2023. On that day, an altercation occurred between huntsmen and anti-hunting people. It seems that Bertrand Giboulet tried to prevent an AVA activist from taking photos after the death of a deer, killed at Vivier Corax, in the Compiègne forest.
Stanislas Broniszewski indicates that a trial is planned for this case on January 24, 2025. If this is indeed the case, we have not heard the last of Bertrand Giboulet.
Bailiff’s report
The letter is accompanied by a report from the justice commissioner, Me Xavier Dorinet, as former bailiffs are called today. He confirms that the two images placed side by side are indeed those of Bertrand Giboulet. He also takes a copy of the comments posted on the AVA Facebook page. But these are not comments that concern Oise Hebdo.
A debate of general interest
On Oise Hebdo’s Facebook post, on the other hand, there are nearly 200 comments, 500 interactions and hundreds of shares. Which proves, over and over again, that the subject of hunting with hounds interests the population even in the case of an ordinary traffic accident which does not cause any human casualties.
The comments are generally unfavorable to hunting with hounds. The tone is sometimes a little carried away but there is no ad hominem attack. Four or five comments were deleted by us, more out of an abundance of caution than for reason. There are also defenders of hunting with hounds, of hunting in general, and comedians who wonder why the road crossed the deer. A discussion, certainly lively, but in no way defamatory (which, let us remember, is the evocation of a precise fact, erroneous and damaging to honor), nor really insults in the context of a Facebook discussion.
Beyond the public aspect of the case, in a context of obvious general interest (for or against hunting with hounds), and beyond an accident on the public highway linked to hunting with hounds, it is the personality of Bertrand Giboulet which justifies his being identified.
Bertrand Giboulet, an AXA insurance star
Bertrand Giboulet is a very well-known insurer. An AXA general agent, he enjoys high esteem among his peers. He has an agency in Senlis and another in Lacroix-Saint-Ouen. The Senlis establishment is located in the golden triangle of this very upscale city. It is on the corner of Place de la Halle, next to the banks, the prestigious real estate agency Marc Foujols, and the café-restaurant Le Commerce. In Lacroix-Saint-Ouen, his agency is also in the best location, on the corner of the town hall square.
Bertrand Giboulet appreciates publicity. It is honored by the AXA company which continues to highlight it. This is a great interview, with photos. He is described as a “passion” agent. He is photographed. He tells his life story. He is passionate about motorcycles. He is passionate about old cars. He’s nice. He has humor. He says he took part in a motorcycle rally in May, on a motorbike, around the Italian lakes. He was in his shirt sleeves and he had to pass snowy passes. It’s self-deprecating. He also says he took part in the Le Touquet enduro but broke the engine on the second lap, at the end of the straight. That’s motorcycle derision. He doesn’t take himself seriously. He’s the nice insurer.
He likes old cars. And those who go vroom vroom. “I had a Porsche 996 convertible. In a car, I can only ride with my head to the wind, like on a motorbike! (Laughs),” he said. He likes beautiful cars and drives with the carefree attitude of men who are still young.
He almost always wears a scarf around his neck and, there, in this other AXA promotion, we see him behind the wheel of a Citroën two-horse. Always this funny, relaxed, nice side. There are plenty of photos of him in every corner of the internet.
Bertrand Giboulet, public figure
He has his Facebook page where we see his photos again. He’s on LinkedIn (without a scarf this time). He specifies that he graduated from the Higher Institute of Executives and Technicians, that he began his career at Danone and, after five years and four months, he established himself as a general agent for AXA France , in Senlis.
And on his X account, Bertrand Giboulet reposts numerous messages from Thomas Drach, son of Alain Drach, crew chief of La Futaie des Amis, and many other messages in support of hunting.
We know almost everything about Bertrand Giboulet’s life, his occupations, his passions, his hobbies, his profession… So, we see it as inappropriate to ask Oise Hebdo to blur his photo on the pretext that his association with hounds would be harmful. to his professional life.
