Gang rape case sparked demonstrations in France – Newspaper

PARIS: Thousands of people demonstrated in major French cities on Saturday against violence targeting women, as campaigners pressed the country to learn from the gang rape case that shocked the public.

Prosecutors will ask the court in the southern city of Avignon next week to sentence 51 men; there are several others, one of whom drugged his wife for ten years and accepted the invitation to abuse his wife.

their house.

“The more of us we are, the more visible we are, this is an issue for everyone, not just women,” Peggy Plou, a local elected official in the Indre-et-Loire region of western France, said on the street. He made a trip to Paris. Thousands of people marched in the capital alone, mostly women but also children and men. Hundreds of strong demonstrations were also held in other major cities such as Marseille in the south, Lille in the northeast and Rennes in the northwest.

Many demonstrators carried signs bearing various versions of the slogan “shame must switch sides” popularized by Gisele Pelicot, one of the plaintiffs in the Avignon case. Despite its painful content, he was praised for agreeing to public hearings rather than having his case tried behind closed doors.

“The law on consent needs to come into force very quickly. “Just because someone doesn’t say anything doesn’t mean they agree to sexual intercourse,” said retired nurse Marie-Claire Abiker, 78, who was walking in Paris.

France’s legal definition of rape calls it “any act of sexual penetration committed by violence, restraint, threat or surprise,” but does not include any language regarding consent; This is a key demand of women’s rights groups, especially in the wake of the MeToo movement launched in the late 2010s.

“In 2018, it was basically just women (demonstrating). Let’s say 30 percent today

men. This is really great news,” said Amy Bah, a member of the NousToutes (all women) feminist group protesting in Lille.

Published in Şafak, 24 November 2024