Feminists protest outside French courthouse where ‘shocking’ mass rape case is being heard

Feminists have staged a protest outside a courthouse in France where 71-year-old Dominique Pélicot is on trial for allegedly inviting dozens of men to rape his wife.

Pélicot is accused of drugging and raping his now former wife. 50 other men, aged between 22 and 70, are facing charges of aggravated rape, and the trial is expected to run until December.

Gisèle Pélicot waived her right to anonymity, insisting that she wanted the trial to be in the public eye so that the alleged offence “never happens again”. During her testimony last week, she told the court that she hoped her testimony will help spare other women, who might go unrecognised as victims of sexual crimes, from similar ordeals, AP reported.

A woman called Valentine, from the feminist group Les Amazones d’Avignon, told PinkNews that she wanted the protest outside the courthouse to spark an “end to impunity for rapists in France”, also calling for “exemplary punishment” for the men on trial, if found guilty.

Another protestor, Lilou, said: “What is the most shocking is the amount of men who have done this, the length of time, and, above all, the fact they’re ordinary people. There is no [set] profile of the rapist: they are brothers, fathers, grandfathers, uncles.”

After learning about the alleged abuse almost four years ago, the Pélicots’ daughter, Caroline Darian, founded the charity Don’t Put Me To Sleep, to help victims of the sexual abuse of which her father is accused.

“My life was turned upside down,” Darian told the court in the southern city of Avignon. “It was what you call a tipping point, the start of a slow descent into hell where you have no idea how low you will sink.”

On Wednesday (11 September), the Mirror reported that the high-profile trial could collapse because Dominique Pélicot had been ruled too ill to attend court, after he was rushed to hospital.

Rape Crisis England and Wales works towards the elimination of sexual violence. If you’ve been affected by the issues raised in this story, you can access more information on their website or by calling the National Rape Crisis Helpline on 0808 802 9999. Rape Crisis Scotland’s helpline number is 08088 01 03 02.

Readers in the US are encouraged to contact RAINN, or the National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800-656-4673.