2024-04-21 09:32:36
Five days after its publication on Change.org41,621 people signed the petition Coin des LGBT+ entitled “for the rejection of anti-trans law proposals in the French parliament!” “. The purpose of this petition? That parliamentarians “commit to fighting for the rights of trans people in France” after the legislative proposals of March 19 from LR senators and another which will be presented on May 28 by RN deputies. But then, will these more than 40,000 signatures be enough to change things?
“Already, there is no link between the number of signatories and the effectiveness or otherwise of a petition,” immediately responds Thierry Libaert, member of the European Economic and Social Committee (Cese), who worked on the subject. And our expert cites “The Deal of the Century” which, for example, obtained more than 2.3 million signatories “without the result being really measured”. On the other hand, the petition to free Jacqueline Sauvage, convicted of having killed her husband, obtained more than 40,000 supports and “François Hollande actually pardoned her”.
Petitions to bring together, publicize and unite
Even if certain digital petitions have sometimes enabled such political decisions, they do not necessarily all have this ambition. “Without really any legal value as such, they can nevertheless raise questions that concern citizens and put them on the agenda of certain parliamentarians through this means,” underlines the expert. Because even if the number of signatures is not significant, the petition still allows “to have an impact on public decision-makers”, this is “one of its objectives”.
“In addition to bringing people together, petitions serve to publicize a cause as well as the authors of this fight,” explains Thierry Libaert. He also notes that when a personality embodies this cause, the petition works better: “it happens to use well-known names to launch the action and thus encourage signatures. »
Beyond these aspects, certain associations also use this tool to “reach” new supporters. “They then hope to mobilize them in other forms such as demonstrations,” believes the CESE member. It is a progressive communication dynamic to engage citizens. In this sense, petitions really serve a purpose for these organizations. »
Petitions to show your activism
Despite certain successes, the petition remains for Thierry Libaert, “the zero degree of activism”, which he links to slacktivism or “activism of the lazy”. “We are not happy, we click or we like and it is not effective,” he summarizes, granting that the multiplication of these texts online has allowed a “better channeling of discontent” compared to to the paper petition, since it is easier to get involved.
Océane, CEO of Mes Opinions, recognizes, for its part, the legitimacy of asking whether an online petition is of interest. “These are questions that we regularly receive from users,” she confides. And that’s normal when we see the number of cases published every day and the probability that they could lead to something. » To get an idea, just on this French platform created in 2006, more than 1,000 petitions are posted online each month. On Change.org, it’s three times more since Covid-19.
Petitions to raise awareness
So, for the CEO, “obviously” the petitions serve a purpose. She cites the example of fights which “achieved” their objectives as the end of the sale of fish for live fishing in Decathlon stores or the deprogramming of an author accused of advocating child pornography, at the Angoulême festival but also “all these class closures which did not take place”.
Before assuring: “even without victory the impact of a petition is colossal. A petition also aims to raise awareness, for example, one that highlighted the forced labor of Uyghurs. The big brands continued to finance this operation even though nearly 70,000 people were signatories. However, there are 70,000 citizens who have become aware of the problem and who will perhaps change their habits. There was no victory but for the author, it was progress in mobilization. » According to Océane, the petition is a way of being “heard by as many people as possible and allows, in all cases, to move society forward”. “I am convinced of the interest and importance of petitions for democracy,” she says, while recalling that it is a peaceful and non-violent way to act.
This is also what Julia, 27, who has just lent her support to the LGBT+ Corner petition, thinks. For her, it was important to “bear witness [sa] desire to reject these bills and [son] support against these values” which she considers transphobic. “It’s the simplest thing to do when you are interested in a subject and want to share your opinion with elected officials,” she emphasizes. In the event that they become ”viral” online, they help draw attention to social issues: proof with this article. »
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