Mass drug rape trial has brought tens of thousands of people to the streets across France to demand a consent law

PARIS, Nov 24 – Tens of thousands of people demonstrated in major French cities on Saturday against violence against women as campaigners called on the country to learn lessons from a mass rape trial that shocked the public.

The prosecution in the southern city of Avignon is in its final stages against 51 men, including one who drugged his wife for a decade and dozens of others accused of accepting his invitations to abuse her in their home.

On the street, “the more of us there are, the more visible we become, it’s everyone’s business, not just women’s,” said Peggy Plou, an elected official for the Indre-et-Loire region in western France, who made the trip to Paris.

In the capital alone, thousands of people marched, mostly women, but there were also children and men. Police said the turnout was 12,500, while organizers said 80,000.

Police sources said 35,000 people gathered across the country, while organizers put the figure at 100,000.

Hundreds of people were also stranded in other major cities, including Marseille in the south, Lille in the northeast and Rennes in the northwest. Local authorities in Bordeaux, in the southwest of the country, estimated turnout at 1,600.

Many demonstrators carried placards with variations of the slogan “Shame must go to the other side,” popularized by Avignon plaintiff Gisèle Pélicot.

She became a feminist hero by choosing public hearings in her case rather than a trial behind closed doors, despite their painful content.

Legal reform

“The consent law must be adopted very quickly. “Just because someone doesn’t say something doesn’t mean they consent” to sexual contact, said Marie-Claire Abiker, 78, a retired nurse who took part in the march in Paris.

France’s legal definition of rape calls it “any act of sexual penetration… by force, coercion, threat or surprise” but contains no language on consent, a key demand of women’s rights groups, especially since the launch of the MeToo movement in late 2010. x years.

“In 2018, there were mostly only women (demonstrating). Today, let’s say 30 percent are men. This is really great news,” said Amy Ba, a member of the feminist group NousToutes (All of Us Women) protesting in Lille.

“I feel like it’s my business too, we all have a role to play, especially men,” said Arnaud Garcette, 38, at a Marseille demonstration in the city’s historic port with his two children.

“We are at the source of the problem as well as the source of the solution,” he added.

The demonstrations, called by more than 400 campaign groups, will take place two days before the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on Monday.

Equality Minister Salima Saha vowed to take “concrete and effective” measures to mark the world day.

Prime Minister Michel Barnier will announce measures including increased police training and more support for domestic violence victims fleeing their homes, Sunday weekly Tribune Dimanche reported.

Campaigners who organized Saturday’s protests are calling for more far-reaching measures, including a special budget of 2.6 billion euros ($2.7 billion) and a stronger legal framework to tackle the problem.

During his first term as French president, Emmanuel Macron promised to prioritize gender equality and work to eradicate violence against women. —AFP