PARIS (AP) – Women and men demonstrated together Saturday in Paris and other French cities in support of Gisèle Pélicot and the fight against sexual violence highlighted by the tragic case of her ex-husband and dozens of men prosecuted for raping her while she was deliberately drugged. and fainted.
Demonstrations outside the Paris criminal court, in the southeastern city of Lyon and elsewhere underscored how Pélicot’s courage to speak out about his ordeal is inspiring people in France and beyond, as they are still horrified by the scale and brutality of his torture. suffered during the decade.
Since September 2 began the extraordinary trial, in which Pélicot faced 51 of his rapists, he was praised for his modesty and his decision to keep the trial in public – after the court recommended that they be locked up.
“He decided to make this case symbolic,” said Elsa Labouret, one of the Paris protesters and spokesperson for the women’s group “Osez le féminisme!” (Try to be a woman!)
“Those who are abused should not do what they have done. They have the right to have their name protected. It is not the job of any abused person. But what he decides to do is very important because now we cannot ignore the existing violence. Other men can work with them,” he said.
Protesters have criticized what they say is laxity in France’s justice system on sexual violence and the fear of rape and abuse they say follows women every day.
The placards they were carrying said: “Shame must change sides,” “Stop denying,” “Not your spiky ball” and “We are all Giseles. Are you all Dominique???”
Dominique Pélicot admitted during the trial that for almost ten years, he repeatedly drank his wife without her knowledge and invited a number of men to rape her while she lay unconscious in bed.
He told the court that he raped Gisèle again and that 50 men also understood what he was doing. He has been divorced since his arrest. The case is expected to continue until December.
The defendants range in age from 26 to 74. Many of them deny that he raped Gisèle Pélicot, saying that her then-husband cheated on them or they believed that he agreed.
“You will never know who is a rapist or a monster. Like, it could be your neighbor, it could be anyone,” said Paris protester Khalil Ndiaye, a student.
“It’s really disgusting to think that it could be people you know, people you spend every day with and, like, they could do things like that.”
He said he considers Gisèle Pélicot an icon.
“Because in his pain, he decided not to give up and just sleep,” he said. “He decided to fight. And we are all here today because he fights and inspires us to fight too.”
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