A powerful protest recently unfolded in Paris, where thousands of women gathered to demand urgent action against the escalating gender-based violence in France. The demonstration, held in front of the iconic Louvre Pyramid, included topless women advocating for an end to sexual violence. Here’s a closer look at the reasons behind their protest.
Why Women In Paris Are Protesting Topless?
Chants of ‘Femme, Vie, Liberte’ resonated outside the Louvre in Paris as activists from FEMEN, an international women’s rights group, staged a powerful protest on November 25, 2024 marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Videos and photos circulating on Twitter showed demonstrators holding placards with messages like ‘Stop the war on women’ and ‘Freedom of life for women,’ while police looked on in silence, as per News24.
The protests were fuelled by the horrific case of Gisele Pelicot, who was drugged and raped by her ex-husband Dominique Pelicot and a group of men. The case has sparked widespread outrage across France, with calls for stricter government action. Prosecutors sought a maximum 20-year prison sentence for Dominique Pelicot, who facilitated his wife's abuse by at least 70 strangers over a decade.
Who Is Dominique Pelicot?
Dominique Pelicot, the central figure in the French mass rape case involving Gisele Pelicot, admitted in court to drugging his wife of 50 years into unconsciousness and facilitating her rape by other men while recording the assaults, as per BBC.
The 71-year-old former electrician faces multiple charges, including rape, gang rape, and violating privacy by recording and distributing explicit images. Taking the stand, Pélicot confessed to his actions, telling the judge, “I am a rapist, just like all the others in this room.”
In court, Dominique Pelicot revealed that his actions were driven by his desire to open their marriage to partner swapping, a suggestion his wife, Gisele Pelicot, firmly rejected. He admitted that her refusal, combined with the trauma of his own sexual abuse during childhood, fuelled his reprehensible behaviour.
A psychologist recounted Pelicot's statement: “My wife and I discussed swinging, but she didn’t agree, so I drugged her.” Gisele, addressing the court, confirmed that the topic had been brought up at a nightclub, but she had made it clear she "didn't want to get involved."
I was with 100 #FEMEN women in Paris to mark Intl Day against Violence against #Women and for #WomanLifeFreedom من با 100 زن #فمن در پاریس بودم برای روز جهانی علیه خشونت علیه #زنان و در دفاع از زن، زندگی، آزادی.
— Maryam Namazie مریم نمازی (@MaryamNamazie) November 25, 2024
Photos by Sara Farid pic.twitter.com/Ijvd3UNUNi
After Pelicot’s shocking confession, Gisele Pelicot, who made the rare choice of having a public trial in France, expressed her pain and said, “It is incredibly difficult to hear these words. For fifty years, I lived with a man whom I trusted completely, someone I never suspected for a single moment could commit such acts. I had absolute confidence in him,” she said.
As Gisele left the courtroom, she was met with applause and support from those who had gathered to stand in solidarity with her.
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Anne-Cecile Mailfert, president of Fondation des Femmes, underscored the significance of the case, calling it “a symbol of the worst that male violence can inflict.” Speaking to NBC News, she highlighted how the trial has come to represent not just one woman’s suffering but the broader issue of systemic violence against women.
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Credits: Freepik/ Maryam Namazie Twitter
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