Thierry Casasnovas, a controversial cantor of fasting and raw food who has more than 500,000 subscribers on YouTube, was indicted on Friday March 10 at the end of his police custody, in particular for “illegal practice of medicine”, according to the Perpignan public prosecutor’s office.
This 48-year-old man, now placed under judicial supervision, is also indicted for “breach of trust”, “forgery and use of forgery”, “misleading commercial practices”, “laundering” or “abuse of weakness”, according to the statement from the prosecution.
Judicial information
Thierry Casasnovas, who presents himself as a naturopath, has become known for his videos watched more than 80 million times, where he defends raw eating and abstinence to live better, regenerate and detoxify his body. According to these videos, these practices can prevent or even cure cancer, diabetes or depression.
During the summer of 2020, the prosecution had opened a judicial investigation against him and a search had taken place in February 2022 in the Pyrénées-Orientales, at the home of this influencer who had not then been taken into custody.
Last November, the interministerial mission for vigilance and the fight against sectarian aberrations (Miviludes) was alarmed by the influence of Thierry Casasnovas on several followers, who in particular “gave up their medical treatment”.
“It encourages people to question medical therapeutic practices, explaining for example that chemotherapy is toxic and ineffective”, “a discourse that is part of conspiracy, to oppose conventional medicine”, notes Miviludes.
“Highly lucrative” activities
The interministerial mission also affirms that he mentioned “the construction of” concentration camps “in the United States for those who would not submit to vaccination” against Covid. Among his various “very lucrative” activities, according to Miviludes, Thierry Casasnovas offers several training courses – only online – entitled “Rejuvenation cure”, “Iridology”, “Love of children” or “Permaculture” which cost between 200 and 500 € .
For the mission, “the mental influence that this individual would exert on fragile people, the isolation induced by his words, the break with the previous environment, the antisocial discourse and the exorbitant nature of the financial demands (…) are likely to favor a sectarian drift”.