They line up in front of a courthouse in southeastern France, from morning to evening, and have gathered in the thousands in cities across the country. They hold signs reading, “one rape every six minutes,” “not all men but always a man,” and “giving in is not consenting.”
They chant: “Rapist we see you, victim we believe you.”
Women across France are rallying in support of Gisèle Pelicot, a 72-year-old reluctant icon whose husband is on trial in the city of Avignon for systematically drugging her and inviting dozens of men, 50 of whom are now his co-defendants, into their home to rape her over nearly a decade.
The shocking case has sparked what many women in France call a long-overdue reckoning over “rape culture” and systemic sexism in the way the judicial system handles sexual violence.
Yeah, I feel sympathy for those deceived. With kinks like that due diligence is critical, but they were unknowingly and unwillingly party to harm. I imagine that that’s going to haunt some of them forever.
It’s definitely important to keep the focus on the primary victim, what was done to her is the stuff of nightmares, but I can definitely feel sympathy to all who were deceived here.