Insult Her to Stop Her From Protecting Youth from E-cigs
When tobacco companies faced legal consequences, their defenders turned their anger on the woman enforcing the rules. Emmanuelle Béguinot became the target of personal insults and legal attack. Instead of backing down, she took them to court—and won.
Personally Targeted: How Emmanuelle Béguinot Faced Harassment for Holding the Tobacco Industry Accountable and Protecting Youth from E-cigarettes
Emmanuelle Béguinot is the Director of France’s Comité National Contre le Tabagisme (CNCT). Through CNCT, she helped pass strong policies on plain packaging, advertising bans, and industry interference. From 1993 to 2021, France saw an estimated 11,411 lives saved due to tobacco control efforts.
Emmanuelle is also a collaborator for the Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index (GTI), producing the civil society report on Article 5.3 Implementation for France.
*Lives Saved Estimate: The estimate of lives saved is based on a comparison of Global Burden of Disease (GBD) data. The number was derived by comparing the number of deaths attributed to tobacco use as a risk factor in 1993 with those reported in 2021, as reported in the GBD dataset.
The Tactic: Personal attacks following public interviews from industry defenders
Emmanuelle was allegedly insulted online by a tobacconist leader over advocacy work.
The Incident: Public Criticism Met with Personal Attacks
In February 2023, Emmanuelle appeared in a France Info interview warning about flavored e-cigarettes sold to youth. She claims that tobacconists were violating the law and that Éric Hermeline (leader of “Angry Tobacconists”) then insulted her on social media with personal attacks.
The Response: CNCT filed a legal case in court for public insult
On 23 October 2024, Éric Hermeline was convicted* and ordered to pay €800 in damages and €1,500 in legal costs. Emmanuelle also endured past threats from British American Tobacco (BAT) (2019* and 2022*) but did not back down.
* Based on documents in Emmanuelle’s private archive (not independently verified by GGTC/author)
The Outcome: Legal Precedent Strengthens Advocacy Efforts
Eric was found guilty and penalized.* Emmanuelle, on behalf of CNCT, successfully set a precedent that online harassment is not acceptable. Emmanuelle continues to lead CNCT. Past attempts to silence her failed.
* Based on documents in Emmanuelle’s private archive (not independently verified by GGTC/author)
Why It Matters
This case shows how personal intimidation is used when policy arguments are lost. Such a legal win confirms that public health advocates are not fair targets of harassment.
Disclaimer
This case study is based on publicly documented legal rulings, media reports, organizational statements, and other publicly available sources. It also relies on information provided by civil society actors who are not affiliated with the tobacco industry. All references to individuals and organizations are based on their publicly known affiliations and roles in documented proceedings. This may include accounts of alleged misconduct grounded in private documentation retained by individuals involved. All materials are presented as reported by the source and conveyed in the public interest. This is not intended as definitive legal conclusions but is shared for educational and advocacy purposes, in line with responsible reporting standards and applicable law.