The same slogans, but also the same rage, echoed in front of courthouses and town squares in some 30 French cities (Marseille, Rennes, Bordeaux and Strasbourg among others) on Saturday afternoon, September 14. These rallies, organized by several feminist associations and promoted by the most popular influencers, and attended by thousands of people, expressed widespread support for Gisèle Pelicot, the victim of the Mazan rape trial, which has been taking place at the Avignon courthouse since September 2.
Her rectangular face with dark glasses, which has appeared in a stylized portrait drawn by Belgian graphic artist Aline Dessine and reproduced on some placards, has become a symbol of courage. By refusing to allow the hearings to be held behind closed doors, Pelicot, who was drugged by her husband and raped by him and 50 other men while she was unconscious, has enabled French society – and beyond, through international press reports – to delve into the action of rape, but also to grasp the ordinariness of the defendants' profiles, and thereby give substance to the leitmotif of these rallies: "Shame must change sides."
In Paris, around 3,500 people, mainly women, converged on the Place de la République in the early afternoon. Taking the microphone first, feminist activist Anna Toumazoff, the rally's ringleader, emphasized how this trial had "shocked and brought people together," calling for "the need for society to take a leap forward." "We are all Gisèle," chanted the crowd in chorus, during the afternoon.
The same words, "rage" and "nausea," recurred throughout the speeches. Anne-Cécile Mailfert, president of the Fondation des Femmes, reiterated her call for a "comprehensive law against sexist and sexual violence." This would comprise 95 measures, including "a systematic investigation of respondents as soon as a complaint is lodged," taking into account the serial nature of the acts, and specific training in these subjects for departmental criminal court judges. According to the Fondation des Femmes, €3 billion would be needed to implement such a reform.
While the Avignon trial has crystallized anger, it is also the other victims of rape and sexual assault, the anonymous ones, those who have not been listened to, who are highlighted by the participants. "Rapist, we see you, victim, we believe you!" has been repeated like a mantra. The speeches and placards remind attendees that 94% of rape complaints are closed without any action being taken and 91% of rapes are committed by someone the victim knows.
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