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Protests Erupt Across France Against Rape Culture Following Trial

Jennifer Cartwright
Image of triangular Louvre in Paris lit up in dark. Thousands of people protest in support of Gisèle Pelicot.

Content warning: This article contains details of rape and sexual violence.

Jennifer Cartwright

Thousands of people have rallied in cities across France in support of a 72-year-old woman who was allegedly repeatedly drugged by her husband and raped by over 50 men while unconscious.

Gisèle Pelicot’s husband Dominique Pelicot, 71, is accused of repeatedly drugging his wife and inviting dozens of strangers into their home to rape her.

The trial, which Gisèle Pelicot chose to be public, has caused outrage across France and the world. Many protestors are shocked by how people could perpetrate such a horrific crime. Many are also confused as to how the abuse went on for so long unexposed. 

“Activists march in solidarity with Gisèle Pelicot and the thousands of other victims of sexual violence”

The repeated assault against Gisèle Pelicot allegedly took place between 2011 and 2020 but was only uncovered after her husband faced a separate charge of taking indecent photos of women in a supermarket.

When French police searched Dominique Pelicot’s computer, they uncovered a USB-saved folder titled ‘Abuses’. This folder documented thousands of images and videos of himself and others raping his unconscious wife. 

DEFINING RAPE: Gisèle Pelicot case

Taking to the stand, Dominique Pelicot has admitted: “I am a rapist like the others in this room.”

But some of Pelicot’s 50 co-defendants contest their charge by arguing they either believed they had Gisèle Pelicot’s permission or that her husband’s invitation was sufficient consent. 

Guillaume De Palma, a lawyer for six of the defendants even argued that “without the intention of committing rape, there is no rape.”

In French law, rape is defined as “any act of sexual penetration, of any nature whatsoever, committed against another person by violence, constraint, threat or surprise.”

This definition leaves a dangerous obscurity as it does not directly reference consent. It is unclear whether Gisèle Pelicot’s assaults count as ‘surprises’, despite the fact she was unconscious when they took place. 

A PUBLIC OUTCRY

As the trial has played out through the news since early September, female-led rallies have broken out in over 30 cities across France – including Paris, Nice, and Marseilles. Protesters have been seen carrying signs reading messages such as “we believe you” and “who sleeps does not consent.”

Activists march in solidarity with Gisèle Pelicot and the thousands of other victims of sexual violence, and call on French President Emmanuel Macron to include the word ‘consent’ in the legal definition of rape. 

What many find particularly frightening is the sheer amount of defendants on trial and their seemingly everyman nature. The accused range in age from 26 to 73 and include firefighters, nurses and journalists.

Founder of organisation The Women’s Voices, a news outlet that aims to amplify women in the public sphere, Cynthia Illouz told Channel 4 News: “These men weren’t just shadowing figures lurking in the dark. They were fathers, neighbours, friends. Men who felt that they had the right to rape.”

The ongoing case has become a reckoning against rape culture across the country. 

“To all these victims, I want to say to them today, Look around you, you are not alone”

The trial of Dominque Pelicot and his 50 co-defendants is set to last until December.

Choosing to make the trial public to shift shame on the perpetrators, Gisèle Pelicot said: “I dedicate [this fight] to all the people, women and men, throughout the world, who are victims of sexual violence.”

“To all these victims, I want to say to them today, Look around you, you are not alone.”

For rape or sexual assault support in the UK, call the helpline on 0808 500 2222 or visit the website to start a free online chat. 

For rape or sexual assault support in Europe, access helplines here.

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Featured image courtesy of Shubhagata Sengupta on Unsplash. No changes made to this image. Image license can be found here.

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